Jackson hair made into diamond

When executive producer Ralph Cohen scooped up the charred hair Michael Jackson lost in the filming of the now-infamous Pepsi commercial, he had no idea that he was saving a piece of history.

The hair is being preserved by collector John Reznikoff and is being used by LifeGem, which creates diamond memorials. Cohen, executive producer for the Pepsi commercial, was among the first to reach Jackson when he was set on fire. A portion of hair will remain in Reznikoff's collection.

Another portion is being used by Elk Grove Village-based LifeGem to create a small number of certified laboratory diamonds. In 2007, LifeGem and Reznikoff partnered to create diamonds from Beethoven's hair.