Diamond Nexus Labs is a producer and marketer of laboratory-produced gemstones. The company owns the trademark: “The World Leader in Laboratory Created Precious Gemstones”. The company produces and sells laboratory created rubies, emeralds sapphires and canary diamonds. However the company’s key product is a proprietary, patent pending diamond simulant product marketed as the “Diamond Nexus” gemstone. The company sells their products directly to the consumer in finished jewelry and as loose gemstones through their website, catalogues and “Diamond Nexus” branded retail locations.

Company

Diamond Nexus Labs is a division of Lautrec Corporation, located in Wyoming. The company was launched in 2004 and experienced significant growth. In 2009 the company was listed as number 294 on the Internet Retailer IR500 list of America’s largest internet companies.

The company lists their mission statement as:

To provide luxury products that satisfies the soul's desire to feel respected and the mind's desire to feel smart.

Environmental impact

Diamond Nexus Labs states that their simulants are better for the environment than diamonds because their simulants do not require the ill effects of mining. They also state that their laboratories and production facilities use environmentally friendly practices, they do not use dangerous chemicals, they recycle all excess materials used in production, they use recycled gold whenever possible and their catalogues are printed on recycled paper with soy ink.

Corporate Locations

The company is headquartered in Franklin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Franklin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Franklin is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Franklin is a suburb of Milwaukee with a population of 35,451 as of the 2010 census.-Transportation:...

, a suburb of Milwaukee. The company operates a research facility and coating production operation in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

. The company creates its proprietary crystal material through strategic partnerships with companies located in Niagara, New York

Niagara, New York

Niagara is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 8,378. The town is named after the famous waterfall Niagara Falls....

 and Novosibirsk Russian Federation. The company additionally has offices in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 and a jewelry production facility in Guangzhou, PRC.

Products

Diamond Nexus Labs created rubies, emeralds, sapphires and canary diamonds are the exact optical, physical and chemical duplicate of natural mined stones. The “Diamond Nexus” lab created simulant product is a close match to a natural mined diamond optically and physically, but the chemistry is entirely different. The product has reportedly gone through several versions and improvements since its debut. The product currently features a patent-pending core material containing zirconium oxide, (ZrO₂) hafnium and gadolinium as well as trace amounts of other elements, and a 120-140 nm thick Corundum

Corundum

Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide with traces of iron, titanium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is one of the naturally clear transparent materials, but can have different colors when impurities are present. Transparent specimens are used as gems, called ruby if red...

 coating. The coating technology is patent pending. The diamond simulant product is claimed to nearly match the brilliance, dispersion, refraction, toughness and porosity of a mined diamond and to be indistinguishable from a natural mined diamond to an untrained observer. However a thermal-probe test will distinguish the stone from a natural diamond. The stones are reportedly uniformly Grade D colorless and flawless. The company also produces a line of colored diamond simulants in hues such as: rose, canary, chocolate, ice blue and champagne. The stones are covered by a lifetime guarantee to never chip, discolor or become damaged.

Miss Universe Association

Since 2009, Diamond Nexus Labs has been the Official Jeweler to the Miss Universe Organization

Miss Universe Organization

The Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...

, producers of the crown for the Miss Universe

Miss Universe

Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....

, Miss USA

Miss USA

The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...

 and Miss Teen USA

Miss Teen USA

Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....

 Pageants. The Miss Universe Organization is a joint venture of Donald Trump

Donald Trump

Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...

 and the NBC Universal Television Group.

Diamond Nexus Labs designed and produced the crowns for all three pageants, which are valued in excess of $200,000 USD each. The design for the Miss Universe Crown was selected by the public and fans through a worldwide online contest called “Choose the Crown” in which over five-hundred thousand people voted for their favorite crown from a choice of three. The crown was unveiled for the first time on live television during the 2009 Miss Universe pageant.

Diamond Nexus Labs was selected by NBC/Universal and the Miss Universe Organization as Official Jeweler as part of NBC’s “Green is Universal” environmental initiative.

Media

Diamond Nexus Labs jewelry has been featured with title credit in various television programs and movies such as NBC’s The Biggest Loser

The Biggest Loser

The Biggest Loser is an American reality game show that debuted on NBC October 19, 2004. The show features obese people competing to win a cash prize by losing the highest percentage of weight relative to their initial weight....

 (Grand Finale episode) and Fox’s Human Target (2010 TV series) (Season 2 Episode 3: “Taking Ames”).

Controversy

Claims, specifically from www.Betterthandiamond.com, have been made that Diamond Nexus Labs simulants are nothing more than cubic zirconia.. They claim to have three independent lab test that show Diamond Nexus diamonds are ordinary cubic zirconia.

In response, Diamond Nexus Labs has brought lawsuits against several companies that have made claims that their simulants are cubic zirconia. Diamond Nexus Labs has their stones independently certified by American International Gemologists. The company also has an “A” Rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Resources

http://www.internetretailer.com/top500/list/?page=3

http://www.diamondnexuslabs.com/crown.php

http://www.diamondnexus.com/product-education-independant-testing.html

http://www.diamondnexus.com/about-us.html

http://www.facebook.com/DiamondNexus