Gemstones in fantasy setting

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Is Steven Universe a bannable offense yet?

>>51927255
No. But it should be.

>>51926582
I wouldn't focus too hard on it, really. For inspiration, I might suggest looking up "magic" properties of different gem stones. There are plenty of neopagan materials around the internet that talk about what stone does what and why.

Regardless, if you want the players or readers or whatever to make a connection with your setting, you may want to just keep it familiar in that regard. Most people will likely not bat an eyelash at the fact rubies and sapphires are the same thing, but diamonds are not. They're all just rocks anyway.

>>51927321
>>51927255
Don't be a pair of shitposting cunts now

>>51926582
Too much overthinking. Just go with colors how they are in pop culture. I can assure you players won't notice.

Same with precious/semi-precious. Use jet for dark faction, something white for light faction, don't think too hard about it.

>>51927339
>I might suggest looking up "magic" properties of different gem stones
Nice idea! Thank you.
>>51927432
Yeah, you're right, but I'm autistic in that regard and it is enough for me that I'll notice.

>>51926582
Firstly, in fantasy setting, being "same mineral with different impurities giving it a different color" doesn't mean shit.
Unless your setting has relatively modern chemical knowledge, there is no way of telling this. Unless it has explicitly real-life chemistry, instead of some elementalist concepts fantasy worlds tend to use, they might as well NOT be color varieties of same thing within the setting,
Especially if those are meant to be magical. I'm a geologist and this never was a problem to me.

As a digression, what usually triggers me personally is using of made up fantasy gems or gems that were discovered in the age of modern science, as those usually have very... scientific names, unfitting in tone for fantasy.

>those four stones I mentioned above are the only precious stones
Not really. Even if we discard more recently discovered gems like alexandrite or tanzanite, which can be more expensive than the "traditional" ones (and certainly rubies and sapphires which are kind of cheap nowadays compared to the rest) you still have varieties of beryl other than sapphire (aquamarine and golden beryl if we consider the "old" stones mostly), and fire opals, peridots and jacinths are also arguably precious stones.
There also is also entire category of semi-precious stones that are below precious ones, but way above "colored varieties of quartz". Like garnet, tourmaline, topaz, moonstone, sunstone, etc.

But going by colors
>black
Black opal, darker varieties of garnet, smoky quartz. Black opal is most "precious" of those and by a large marign. But it has disadvantage of not being crystalline like everything else so it kind of strikes out. Garnet isn't entirely black and even the darkest specimens will have clear violet or red undertones. Smoky quartz is aesthetically best choice but it's dirt-cheap stone.

cont.

>>51927592
>yellow
Topaz actually can be of many colors. It can be yellow, can be orange, can be even blue. I think you'd want something more explicitly tied to a certain color. Golden beryl would be best choice. I usually just call it "beryl", dropping color descriptor as all other beryl varieties have specific names. It isn't correct but feels more natural and atmospheric for me.
But, after all, why yellow for air? Switching light with air now might be good idea. Unless you explicitly want to have light and darkness represented by opposing colors. Then still you have light blue, and a perfect stone for it - aquamarine. Problem with this is that aquamarine is associated with the sea, and water in return. But make of it whatever you want.

>>51927505
>Yeah, you're right, but I'm autistic in that regard and it is enough for me that I'll notice.
...and yet you have "fire faction" and "dark faction". You're already doing single-element factions, might as well go all out.

Also, this >>51927592 .
Keep in mind that cosmology of the fantasy setting doesn't necessarily follow the cosmology of our universe. Your rubies can as well be red because they're formed where fire-aligned leyline hits aluminium oxide.

>>51927592
>what usually triggers me personally is using of made up fantasy gems or gems that were discovered in the age of modern science, as those usually have very... scientific names, unfitting in tone for fantasy
I know, right? That's why I can't put citrine in, even though it is quite common yellowish gem. Great post overall, thank you.
>>51927640
>unless you explicitly want to have light and darkness represented by opposing colors
Exactly. Factions are in war with each-other, but some are more that the others. So we have three opposing elemental pairs, which will also be a cultural thing for respective nations.
Also, element of air is yellow in Western alchemy.

I love semi-precious stones both as ways to give interesting treasure that isn't just gold but isn't overly expensive like a 'precious' gemstone would be and additionally I like to give gemstones magical potency in some way, which not only explains but also actually encourages bling and shit.

Aren't "precious" gemstones just a marketing meme and not actually the rarest kinds?

>>51927908
In terms of naming and recognizability, yes. There are rarier stones.
In terms of actual price, no. A gem with a name you didn't hear ever in your life may fetch prices ten times as high as rubies or sapphires.
But rarity isn't everything, even rarest mineral makes for a shit gem if it isn't durable (part of the appeal of diamonds is that unlike other gems you can wear it on daily basis with no risk of ultimately destroying its surface through scratching, unlike all other gems), optical properties that make them pretty and mechanical properties that allow them to be cut in fancy shapes.
And it's also more about tradition (the well known "precious stones" are simply the oldest known ones) than "marketing".

So is this Amethyst, Princess of Gem world or Steven Universe?

>>51927695
I wouldn't think twice about the word "citrine" appearing in a medieval fantasy setting. You probably use newer words than that in games all the time, and the root of that particular word is ancient.
At least it's not a mineral named after a person like dumortierite or jeremejevite or whatever.

As for opposing pairs, wouldn't it make sense to draw attention to those pairs by making two elements represented by corundum, two by beryl and two by quartz?