Carbon In Diamond Nexus Simulants

Question: What is the percentage of carbon in the DNL simulant? They won't tell me this and I'm a little iffy about it. Is there 85% or more carbon in them? - Heidi, New Brunswick

Answer: Diamond Nexus, like many diamond simulant companies including those which create the moissanite simulant, will not reveal the exact amounts of ingredients in their simulant or the processes which are used to create them because it is ‘proprietary’ information – in other words, it’s their secret formula and they don’t want it to get out!

However, Nexus does provide a list of ingredients which are used to create their simulant:

Carbon (C)
Sulfur (S)
Iron (Fe)
Calcium (Ca)
Cobalt (Co)
Nickel (Ni)
Yttrium (Y)
Zirconium (Zr)
Gadolinium (Gd)
Hafnium (Hf)

If you are concerned about the carbon content because you want to compare the Nexus simulant with a cubic zirconia perhaps this information will help:

A Nexus diamond is not a cubic zirconia simulant – it is its own type of diamond simulant which is quite different from cubic zirconia. A few diamond simulant manufactures produce a harder cubic zirconia simulant by applying a durable coat over the simulant, but this is not the type of simulant that Nexus laboratories create.

To compare the properties of a Nexus diamond to real diamonds, synthetic diamonds, cubic zirconia and moissanite, take a look on the table on the Man-Made Diamonds page.

While a Nexus simulant is one of the most realistic diamond simulants on the market, and one of the hardest in terms of durability, a Nexus diamond is still not a real diamond. If you are looking for a man-made diamond that is composed mostly of carbon, you may want to search for synthetic laboratory created diamonds.

Synthetic laboratory created diamonds have the exact same physical and chemical properties as a real diamond, but of course they cost much more than a diamond simulant.

Diamond Nexus has a very solid 30 day money-back guarantee – so if you order a Nexus ring and you are not happy with it you can always return it.

Nexus diamond simulants and synthetic gemstones (they also produce a line of synthetic topaz, ruby, emerald and sapphire gemstones which have the exact same physical and chemical properties as real gemstones) also come with a lifetime performance guarantee and a lifetime gemstone loss guarantee. As an added bonus, Nexus is one of the only simulant diamond producers I have found that have a strong commitment towards environmentally friendly practices which include using eco-friendly sourced gold.

An alternative to a diamond simulant or synthetic is to choose a ring made with a smaller, but less expensive, real diamond. If you check out the Blue Nile website, they have a very user friendly format where shoppers can view a selection of diamonds in their price range, and create the setting and band style that will fit their budget.

For additional info on low cost engagement and wedding rings, check out our Affordable Rings section.

I hope this info helps – and if you do purchase a Nexus diamond please write back to us with a review on your purchase!

Good luck :)