The simplest way to clean moissanite is also the best one: soak it in warm water with a few drops of mild dish soap, brush it gently with a soft toothbrush, rinse, and pat it dry. That takes about 15 minutes and brings back nearly all of the sparkle you saw on day one. The stone itself is tough, so the real care is for the metal around it, especially if your piece is gold-plated sterling silver.

Below is the full routine, the things to avoid with plated jewelry, and how to store your pieces so you need to clean them less often.

Why moissanite gets dull in the first place

Moissanite is silicon carbide, rated about 9.25 on the Mohs hardness scale, which makes it harder than almost anything it will meet in daily life. It also has a high refractive index (about 2.65 to 2.69) and strong dispersion, which is why it throws so much rainbow fire.

That brilliance depends on light entering the top of the stone and bouncing back out. When the underside of the stone collects a film of skin oil, hand cream, soap or dust, light can't get in cleanly, and the stone starts to look flat or slightly hazy. Nothing has happened to the moissanite itself. It does not permanently cloud or fade, and the dullness washes off. If you want the longer explanation, our post on whether moissanite gets cloudy goes into it.

So cleaning is really about removing residue, gently, without wearing down the metal.

What you need

• A small bowl of warm water (comfortably warm to the touch, not hot)
• Mild, plain dish soap, a few drops only
• A soft toothbrush (a baby toothbrush is ideal)
• A soft, lint-free cloth such as microfiber or cotton
• Optional: a wooden toothpick for very gentle work around prongs

That's it. You don't need special jewelry dips or sprays for moissanite set in sterling silver.

Step-by-step: how to clean moissanite at home

1. Soak

Stir a few drops of dish soap into the warm water and let your jewelry sit in it for 10 to 20 minutes. The soak softens oils and lotion so you barely need to scrub. Clean in a bowl rather than over an open sink, so nothing small can slip down the drain.

2. Brush gently

Lift the piece out and brush it with the soft toothbrush, paying most attention to the back of the stone and the area under the prongs, where residue collects. Use light, small strokes. On pavé bands and eternity rings, brush along the row of stones rather than across it, so the bristles don't catch on tiny prongs.

3. Rinse

Rinse in a second bowl of clean warm water, or under a gently running tap with the drain closed. Make sure no soap film is left behind, because dried soap is one of the things that makes stones look dull.

4. Dry completely

Pat dry with your soft cloth, then leave the piece on the cloth to air-dry for a while before putting it away. Sterling silver and the plating over it are happiest dry. Moisture trapped in clasps, chain links or under settings is one of the reasons silver tarnishes faster.

5. Give it a final buff

Once dry, give the stone and metal a light wipe with a clean, dry microfiber cloth. That's all the polishing plated jewelry needs.

What to avoid with gold-plated sterling silver

Most of our pieces are 925 sterling silver plated with 18K or 14K yellow, rose or white gold, or finished with rhodium. Plating is a thin layer of gold or rhodium over the silver. It looks beautiful and wears well with sensible care, but it can wear with friction and chemicals over time. These are the habits that shorten its life.

A note on ultrasonic cleaners

Ultrasonic cleaners use vibration in a liquid bath to shake dirt loose. Moissanite itself tolerates them well because it is so hard. The concern is the setting. For plated pieces, the vibration can speed up plating wear, and on pavé, micro-pavé and full eternity designs with many tiny stones, it can loosen stones that are held by small prongs.

For our jewelry, we recommend skipping the ultrasonic cleaner and cleaning by hand. If you ever have a piece professionally cleaned, tell the jeweler it is gold-plated sterling silver so they can choose a gentle method.

Pieces with a protective coating

Some of our pieces are listed with an "AF protective film" over the plating. Treat it the same way: gentle soap and water, soft cloth, no abrasives or harsh chemicals. Gentle cleaning keeps any surface finish looking its best for longer.

Cleaning different types of moissanite jewelry

Rings

Rings get dirty fastest because your hands are in contact with soap, food, lotion and everything you touch. A solitaire like The Signature Ring usually needs the most attention on the underside of the center stone. Pavé and eternity bands, such as the Eterna Moissanite Eternity Band, collect residue between stones, so brush along the line of stones and rinse well.

Tennis bracelets and tennis necklaces

These have dozens of small stones and many links. Soak, then brush lightly along the line in one direction, and rinse thoroughly so no soap stays trapped in the links. Lay the piece out straight on a cloth to dry, with the clasp open, and make sure every link is dry before storing it.

Earrings

Studs and huggies pick up hair products, makeup and skin oil. Clean the stone and the post with the same soap-and-water method, and dry the post and backs well. Wash the earring backs too.

Pendants

Pendants usually need cleaning less often. Wash the pendant and chain together, then dry the chain straight to avoid kinks.

How often should you clean moissanite?

There is no strict schedule, but this is a good rhythm:

• Rings you wear every day: a gentle soak and brush about once a week or every two weeks, or whenever the stone looks less bright.
• Earrings and bracelets worn often: every couple of weeks.
• Necklaces and occasional pieces: once a month or after each wear if they've been near perfume, sunscreen or hairspray.
• After every wear: a quick wipe with a dry microfiber cloth. This takes seconds and makes deep cleaning less necessary.

Cleaning more often than this won't hurt the moissanite, but every scrub is a little friction on the plating, so gentle and regular beats vigorous and occasional.

Everyday habits that keep it clean longer

• Last on, first off. Put jewelry on after perfume, lotion, hairspray and makeup have dried, and take it off before washing your face or applying creams.
• Remove it for water and sweat. Showers, swimming, the gym, saunas and household cleaning are all better without jewelry.
• Dry it if it gets wet. Pat dry and let it air-dry before putting it away.
• Handle rings by the band, not by the stone. Fingertips leave oil on the top of the stone.

How to store moissanite jewelry

Good storage protects both the stone and the metal.

• Store pieces separately. At about 9.25 on the Mohs scale, moissanite can scratch metal and softer gems if pieces rub together in a drawer. Use individual soft pouches or a lined box with compartments.
• Keep it dry. A bathroom is the worst place for silver because of humidity. A bedroom drawer or jewelry box is better. Anti-tarnish strips in the box help sterling silver.
• Fasten chains and lay them flat. Close the clasp of necklaces and bracelets before storing them to prevent tangles and kinks. Tennis pieces are best stored flat.
• Travel with a case. A small padded jewelry case stops pieces knocking together in a bag.

For more on how plating and sterling silver behave over time, see our guide to gold-plated sterling silver.

When to see a jeweler

Clean at home for everyday dirt. See a jeweler if a stone moves or rattles, a prong looks lifted or bent, a clasp feels loose, or the plating has worn through in a visible spot. Those are setting and metal issues that cleaning can't fix, and it's better to catch a loose stone early.

Keep the sparkle going

Moissanite is one of the easiest stones to live with: hard, bright, and quick to clean. Treat the gold-plated silver around it gently, keep it dry, and give it a soak whenever it looks tired, and it will keep its fire for a long time. If you're new to the stone, our explainer on what moissanite is covers the basics.

When you're ready for a new piece to care for, you can browse our moissanite rings or the dainty, wear-every-day pieces in Everyday Sparkle.