Don't ask us why we decided to post this story on a food blog.
Actually we don't understand either, but we couldn't resist a story about making jewelry out of dead relatives.
These ashes-to-beads companies are everywhere in South Korea, and for one company, business has been gangbusters.
Bonhyang, owned by Bae Jae-yul, (above photo) melts the ashes of the dead down using a special process he perfected before starting his company.
The difference between his and other companies is the lack of minerals added to help bind the ashes together.
The beads can be produced in frequent colors, with some of the more popular ones being blue-green, pink, purple, and black. The process costs around $900.
Bonhyang founder and CEO Bae Jae-yul says the beads allow people to keep their relatives close to them, wherever they go.
He also says stored ashes can rot, a claim denied by crematoriums. "Our beads are clean; they don't become moldy and don't go off and smell bad," he says.
Bae uses ultrahigh temperature to melt cremated ashes until they are crystalized and can be turned into beads in a 90-minute process.
We were thinking, this might be perfect for Halloween.
