Does Moissanite Get Cloudy

[Javier Odom]

Yes, moissanite jewelry can get cloudy.

More recently I have been seeing moissanite jewelry that appears cloudy. So I began to look into this and have found the jewelry industry appears to be gaslighting the market by saying moissanite does not get cloudy. Most of the articles that claim moissanite does not get cloudy blame oils, lotions, dirt, and other debris for moissanite losing its brilliance. These claims are not wrong, but it is misdirection, or in some cases straight deception.

ALL jewelry, when exposed to debris, can get dirty, and some of the effects of this are the loss of brilliance and cloudiness. With moissanite there appears to be something else going on that is more complicated than just "debris." There is even a name for a part of this problem, "moissanite oil slick." Though moissanite oil slick is just the buildup of oils which then attract dirt and other debris to the underside (pavilion) and undisturbed areas of the moissanite, the real issue we are seeing more and more of is the tenacity of this film covering the moissanite. We use fairly powerful cleaning solutions for our ultrasonic and tumblers, and even our pickles, but these do not seem to phase this moissanite film that is adhering to the pavilions of moissanites. Yes, we have even soaked moissanite in our pickles and this stubborn moissanite film remains firmly covering the moissanite.

So far, our only remedy has been to physically scrape this film off of the moissanite, facet by facet. The easiest way is when the moissanite is loose, but that is not always an option.

If that is our only remedy, then so far our only mitigation plan has been to clean the moissanite very frequently, ranging from no less than weekly, to daily.

Yes, moissanite gets cloudy when worn and enjoyed, just like most other gems, but the film that develops on moissanite seems to have a higher immunity towards conventional cleaning methods.

[David]

I noticed this also. Good to know other people are seeing the same things and I'm not crazy.