A laboratory-grown diamond is pure carbon grown into a crystal over a few weeks. A mined diamond forms underground over millions of years. The chemistry, hardness and sparkle are identical. Only the origin differs.

Yes. It has the same carbon crystal structure as a mined diamond, and a standard tester cannot tell the two apart. A gemologist needs specialist laboratory equipment to distinguish them. Moissanite and cubic zirconia are different materials that only imitate the look. Every Myst centre stone of 1 carat and above comes with an IGI certificate showing its cut, colour, clarity and carat.

No. A laboratory-grown diamond scores 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, the same as a mined diamond, and it keeps its brilliance for life. A hard knock on a sharp edge can chip any stone, so take your ring off for the gym or heavy work.

Both methods produce a real laboratory-grown diamond. HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) recreates the heat and pressure deep inside the earth. CVD (chemical vapour deposition) builds the crystal layer by layer from carbon-rich gas. Myst uses CVD for every stone because it produces a high-purity crystal with no metallic inclusions, which gives you a brighter, cleaner stone.

The 4Cs are cut, colour, clarity and carat:

• Cut sets how much light the stone returns to your eye.
• Colour runs from D (colourless) down the alphabet.
• Clarity grades tiny internal marks, from Flawless to Included.
• Carat is the stone’s weight.

Myst sets only E–F colour and VS–VVS clarity.

Carat measures weight: 1 carat equals 0.2 grams. It doesn’t measure quality or size directly. A 1 carat round stone measures about 6.5 mm across, while a 1 carat oval looks larger because it’s longer. Most Myst pieces centre on a full 1 carat stone.

Round gives the most sparkle and suits every setting. Oval, pear and marquise look bigger for their weight and make your fingers look slimmer. Emerald and asscher cuts show off clarity and give a clean, architectural look. Try a few shapes on at an appointment before you decide.