Does Moissanite Get Cloudy? What's Actually Happening

Short answer: no. Moissanite does not turn cloudy from the inside, and it does not fade, oxidize, or wear out with age. When a moissanite piece starts looking dull, what you are almost always seeing is a thin film of skin oils, lotion, and soap sitting on the surface of the stone — or tarnish on the silver around it. Both wash off in a few minutes.

It is one of the most common questions we get before someone buys, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a sales pitch. Here is what is actually happening, and what to do about it.

Why moissanite cannot go cloudy from within

Moissanite is silicon carbide. Ours is lab-created, which means the crystal is grown under controlled conditions rather than pulled out of the ground, and the result is a stone with very consistent clarity and color.

Three properties matter here:

• Hardness. Moissanite sits at about 9.25 on the Mohs scale. For context, diamond is 10 and sapphire is 9. Very little in everyday life is hard enough to abrade the surface of a stone that hard, and surface abrasion is the main reason softer stones go permanently hazy.
• It is not porous. There is nowhere for water, perfume, or lotion to soak in. Anything that lands on the stone stays on the outside of it.
• It is chemically stable. Silicon carbide does not oxidize or react with sweat, chlorinated water, or the air the way some metals do. The stone you unbox is chemically the same stone ten years later.

On top of that, moissanite has a higher refractive index than diamond — roughly 2.65 to 2.69 against diamond's 2.42. That is the reason the flash is so bright to begin with, and it is a property of the crystal itself, not a coating that can wear off.

If you want the full breakdown of stone grading and why we specify D-color, VVS1 clarity, it is covered in our guide to VVS moissanite.

So why does it look dull sometimes?

Because sparkle depends on light getting into the stone and back out again. Anything sitting in the way cuts that down fast. Five things are usually responsible.

1. A film of oils and product residue

This is the number one cause by a wide margin. Hand cream, sunscreen, hairspray, foundation, body oil, and plain skin sebum leave an invisible layer on the surface. Individually each one is nothing. Layered over a couple of weeks, they scatter light before it ever reaches the facets, and the stone reads flat and grayish. Rings and bracelets pick this up fastest because hands touch everything.

2. Dirt trapped behind the setting

A lot of a stone's brilliance comes from light entering the top and bouncing back off the pavilion underneath. On cluster earrings, tennis chains, and pavé settings there are dozens of small gaps behind and between the stones, and lint, dust, and dried soap collect there. The stones look fine from a distance and lifeless up close.

3. Tarnish on the sterling silver

This one is about the metal, not the stone. .925 sterling silver reacts with sulfur compounds in air, sweat, and some cosmetics, and slowly develops a darker surface layer. A darkened setting makes the stones next to it look duller by contrast, even when the stones themselves are perfectly clean. Tarnish is normal, it is not damage, and it polishes off.

4. Fine scratches on the metal

Silver is a soft metal and picks up hairline surface scratches with wear. A satin-scuffed setting reflects less light back into the stones. Again, this is the metal aging, not the moissanite.

5. Plating wear on colored finishes

If your piece has a plated finish rather than solid metal, that plating is a surface layer and it thins with friction over time — fastest on rings and bracelets, slowest on earrings and pendants. As it wears, the tone shifts and the piece can look tired. The stones are unaffected.

How to bring the sparkle back in five minutes

You do not need special equipment. This works on every moissanite piece we make.

1. Fill a small bowl with warm — not hot — water and add a drop of mild dish soap.
2. Let the piece soak for five to ten minutes so the film softens.
3. Work gently around and behind the stones with a soft-bristled toothbrush. The underside is where the real difference is made.
4. Rinse thoroughly in clean warm water. Put the plug in the sink first.
5. Dry completely with a lint-free cloth, and let it air-dry a few minutes before storing. Trapped moisture is what accelerates tarnish.

For tarnish specifically, a silver polishing cloth on the metal surfaces will bring the shine back. Our sterling silver care guide covers that in more depth, and the moissanite cleaning guide walks through the routine step by step.

What to keep away from it

• Bleach and chlorine. Harmless to the stone, but they attack the copper in sterling silver and can leave the metal discolored or brittle. Take jewelry off before the pool or hot tub.
• Toothpaste and baking soda. Both are abrasive and will micro-scratch soft silver, which is the opposite of what you want.
• Silver dips. Fast, harsh, and easy to overdo. A polishing cloth is safer and gives you more control.
• Ultrasonic cleaners. Moissanite itself handles them fine, but the vibration is not kind to plated finishes or older, looser settings. If you use one, keep it short and check your prongs afterward.

Habits that keep it clear

Prevention takes less effort than cleaning. Put your jewelry on last, after lotion, perfume, and hair products have dried. Take it off first, before showering, swimming, the gym, or cleaning. Store pieces separately in a pouch or a lined box rather than loose in a pile, so the silver does not scratch against itself. A quick wipe with a soft cloth at the end of the day removes the day's oils before they build into a film.

Do that, and a five-minute soak once a month is all the maintenance a moissanite piece really needs.

Where the "cloudy" reputation actually comes from

Most people asking this question have owned a piece of cubic zirconia that went hazy and never recovered. That is a real effect, and it is worth separating from moissanite. CZ is considerably softer, around 8 to 8.5 on the Mohs scale, so its facet edges and surfaces abrade with ordinary wear. Once the polish on the surface is gone, cleaning does not bring it back — the damage is physical. Moissanite at 9.25 is far more resistant to that kind of wear, which is why its dullness is nearly always removable. We break the comparison down properly in moissanite vs cubic zirconia.

Frequently asked questions

Does moissanite get cloudy over time?

No. The stone does not change. What changes is the layer of oils, product residue, and dust sitting on it, plus tarnish on the surrounding silver. Cleaning reverses both.

Will moissanite lose its sparkle permanently?

Not under normal wear. Its brilliance comes from the refractive index of the crystal, which is a fixed physical property, not a treatment or coating.

Can I shower or swim in moissanite jewelry?

The stone will be fine, but we would not recommend it. Soap builds film quickly, and chlorinated or salt water is hard on sterling silver. Take it off first.

Can moissanite scratch?

Only against something harder or equally hard — a diamond, another moissanite, or industrial abrasives. Store pieces separately and it will not be an issue.

How often should I clean it?

Once a month for earrings and pendants, every two weeks for rings and bracelets if you wear them daily. Sooner if you notice the flash has gone flat.

Built to keep its shine

Every Jamilah Jewels piece is set in .925 sterling silver with lab-grown moissanite, and it is designed to be worn, not stored in a drawer. If you want something with an easy care routine to start with, our 9mm cluster earrings are the piece most customers reach for daily — studs sit further from lotions and soaps than rings do, so they stay bright with very little effort.

Browse the full moissanite earrings collection or see what is moving in our best sellers. Free insured shipping and 30-day returns on every order.