How to Clean Moissanite: Chains, Rings and Earrings

To clean moissanite, soak it for a few minutes in warm water with a few drops of mild dish soap, brush it gently with a soft toothbrush, rinse it, and pat it dry with a lint-free cloth. That's all most moissanite jewelry needs. The stone is tough and doesn't go cloudy, so when it looks dull, it's almost always a film of skin oil, lotion or soap.

The part most guides skip is plating. Our moissanite chains and most of our rings have a plated finish, and plating can't take toothpaste or the baking soda and vinegar soaks some guides suggest. This guide covers the routine, how often to do it, where dirt hides on each style, what never to use, and ultrasonic cleaners.

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How to clean moissanite in 5 minutes, step by step

This works for every moissanite piece. You need:

• A small bowl of warm water: warm to the touch, not hot
• Two or three drops of mild dish soap
• A soft toothbrush (a baby toothbrush is softest)
• A lint-free microfiber cloth
• A sink plug or mesh strainer, so nothing goes down the drain

1. Mix. Stir the soap into the water until it's lightly sudsy.
2. Soak for 3 to 5 minutes. Give it 10 if it hasn't been cleaned in a while.
3. Brush. Small circles, light pressure. Spend most of the time on the back: the underside of each stone is where film builds up most. Then do the gaps between links and the clasp.
4. Rinse. Plug the sink and rinse under warm running water until no suds are left. Leftover soap leaves its own film.
5. Dry. Pat it dry with the cloth, then leave it flat until the links and clasp are fully dry. A hair dryer on a cool setting speeds this up.
6. Check. Test the clasp and look for any stone sitting crooked. If the cloth snags, a prong may be raised. If the piece rattles when you tap it near your ear, a stone may be loose.

How often should you clean moissanite?

Gentle soap and water is safe as often as you like. This schedule keeps film from building up:

How to clean a moissanite chain: tennis, Cuban and pendant

The routine is the same for every chain. What changes is where the dirt hides: behind stones, and wherever metal meets metal.

How to clean a tennis chain

A tennis chain is a row of stones, each held by its own prongs. A 20-inch chain of 5mm stones has roughly 100 of them, and film collects under every one. Our 10mm Moissanite Clustered Tennis Chain has more edges still, with a large center stone ringed by smaller ones on every link, so give it the full 10-minute soak.

Tennis chains kink if you twist them. Keep the chain flat in the bowl, brush along the links and dry it straight. If it knots anyway, here's how to untangle a tennis chain.

How to clean a Cuban link chain

Iced Cuban links interlock tightly, and dirt packs into gaps a brush can't reach while the chain lies flat. Hold both ends in the soapy water and flex the chain gently so the links open a little, then brush both faces. Wide links like those on our 13mm Moissanite Cuban Chain also trap water, so dry it flat and give it time before you store it. See every width in our moissanite Cuban link chains.

How to clean a moissanite pendant

Clean a pendant off its chain. The bail, the loop the chain runs through, rubs against skin all day and collects grime. Brush inside it and across the back of the pendant. If it has colored stones, use soap and water only.

How to clean a moissanite ring

Rings get dirty fast because your hands are always in something: soap, hand cream, sanitizer, food. Use the same routine, then:

• Brush the underside of the stones and the inside of the band, where hand cream collects.
• On pavé and Cuban rings, brush across the band in both directions. Our Cuban Moissanite Ring is covered in 1mm prong-set stones, and every tiny prong catches lint.
• Take rings off before hand cream, cleaning sprays or bleach, and before you swim.
• Clean a ring you wear daily every week or two. It's usually the first piece to look dull.

Every ring in our moissanite rings collection cleans the same way.

How to clean moissanite earrings

The posts and backs collect hair product, perfume and skin oil.

1. Take the backs off and soak earrings and backs together for 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Brush each setting from behind, then wipe the post with a cotton swab.
3. Rinse over a plugged sink. Earring backs are easy to lose down a drain.
4. Dry everything fully before the backs go back on.

Put earrings in after hairspray, perfume and makeup, not before.

What not to clean moissanite with

Moissanite can handle most things. Plated metal can't. Here's how the common home remedies compare:

Three of those are named in our warranty. It doesn't cover damage caused by chlorine, bleach or abrasive cleaners.

Can you use an ultrasonic cleaner on moissanite?

On the stone, yes. On plated jewelry, we wouldn't.

Moissanite itself handles it. A 2015 jewelers' bench guide for Charles & Colvard moissanite, from the supplier Rio Grande, says single pieces cause no problems in an ultrasonic cleaner and can be steam-cleaned like diamond. The risks are around the stone:

• Small settings. The GIA warns that ultrasonic vibration can sometimes shake gems loose, and says to check stones before and after. Tennis chains and iced Cuban links have dozens to hundreds of small settings.
• Plating. Some makers of home ultrasonic cleaners advise against putting gold- or silver-plated items in them at all.
• Contact. The same bench guide warns that pieces scratch when they bounce against each other in the tank.

Charles & Colvard's own consumer care advice goes further and says to avoid ultrasonic cleaners. Our advice: don't use one at home on our plated chains, rings or earrings. Soap and water removes the same film. If your piece isn't plated, clean one piece at a time, keep cycles to a few minutes, check every stone before and after, and skip it for colored stones.

Does moissanite get cloudy?

No. Moissanite is silicon carbide, nearly as hard as diamond at 9.25 on the Mohs scale, and it doesn't absorb oil or cloud with age. Haze is a surface film of skin oil, lotion, soap, hairspray or hard-water spots, and the routine above removes it. If a stone still looks dull after a proper clean, check for a scratch, which is rare, or send us a photo. For more, read why moissanite looks cloudy and what moissanite is and how it compares with diamond.

Cubic zirconia is softer, 8 to 8.5 on the Mohs scale, so years of wear can scuff it in a way cleaning won't fix. Pieces from our CZ & Metal Alloy line take the same gentle routine.

Everyday care: wearing, storing and repairs

• Put it on last, after lotion, cologne, hairspray and sunscreen.
• Take it off for pools, hot tubs, bleach and cleaning sprays, the gym and contact sports. A hard knock can still chip moissanite or bend a prong.
• Shower without it when you can. Water won't hurt the stone, but shampoo leaves a film and daily showers are hard on plating.
• Store pieces apart in the box or pouch they came in. Moissanite can scratch other jewelry, and chains stored together tangle.
• Skip the polishing wheel. Polishing removes a thin layer of metal, and plating can't spare it.

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How to clean moissanite: common questions

What is the best way to clean moissanite?
Warm water, a few drops of mild dish soap and a soft toothbrush. Soak for 3 to 5 minutes, brush the backs of the stones, rinse, and pat dry with a lint-free cloth.

Can you clean moissanite with toothpaste?
No. Toothpaste is abrasive. It scratches metal, and on plated jewelry it wears the plating away. Warm soapy water does the job without the risk.

Can you use rubbing alcohol on moissanite?
For a quick wipe of the stones, yes. Don't soak plated jewelry in it. Warm soapy water cleans better anyway.

Can you use an ultrasonic cleaner on moissanite?
The stone can handle it, but the vibration can loosen small stones, and some cleaner makers warn against plated items. For plated moissanite jewelry, use soap and water.

Can you shower with a moissanite chain?
Water won't hurt moissanite, but shampoo and soap leave a dulling film, and daily showers are hard on plated metal. Take it off when you can.

How often should you clean moissanite?
Every 1 to 2 weeks if you wear it daily, monthly if you wear it now and then, and the same day after a pool, beach, gym session or sunscreen.

Does moissanite get cloudy?
No. Moissanite doesn't cloud or change color with age. A dull look is a film of oil, lotion or soap on the surface, and a 5-minute soap-and-water clean removes it.