Gemstones, keep or sell?

[Roninblack]

When you find gemstones which ones should be kept for 1 reason or another and which are good to sell, at what value ranges?

Or from a DM's perspective which gems do you try to give a party specifically, or do you always use the random generation tables?

[smasher0404]

Off-hand, if your DM enforces expensive spell components, off the top of my head:

Onyx is used for a lot of Necromancy spells including Animate Dead (25 gp worth of Onyx per HD).
Diamonds are used for resurrection spells like Raise Dead, Resurrection, and True Resurrection. Diamond dust is used for a couple of other spells
If you are using Identify, you'll need to carry pearls that are worth at least 100 gp each

[Telonius]

Diamond, keep as a spell component (Resurrection magic). Onyx, keep if you're into Necromancy. Those are the two biggest ones, for spell components

Otherwise, it depends on how much the DM cares about keeping track of encumbrance, or how much gold you can shove into a bag of holding. If the DM doesn't care, it really doesn't matter other than fluff. (Would your character want to put on some awesome jewelry? Do you need a fancy dress for getting into the Royal Ball?)

If the DM cares about weight and encumbrance, swap your gold for gems at the earliest opportunity. A pile of coins takes up a whole lot more room and weight than a single gemstone. The more expensive the gem, the better.

There's also an optional "Metamagic Component" rule from Unearthed Arcana, part of the SRD here (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/metamagicComponents.htm). If you're playing with the variant, some of the components are gemstones (quartz, onyx, garnet, rubies, agate, etc), so you might want to save them up.

[Arkhios]

Definitely keep the gems over coins.

Coins weigh much more (every 50 coins is 1 lb. Regardless which coins they are), while a single gem may be worth tens if not hundreds of gold pieces and have negligible weight. Gems and pieces of art always keep their full value and can be used as a means of payment.

[Thurbane]

Our group finds gems good for use a portable currency, by RAW, they sell for their full amount, and are more portable than thousands of coins.

If you are in a group that doesn't track encumbrance, or where the DM runs dodgy merchants who try to underpay the PCs for valuables, then not so much.

[Roninblack]

So I am the DM, and I do use the occasional dodgy merchant, and I do track encumbrance, I also use opposed appraise rolls for gemstones so the actual value is kinda up in the air

[Arkhios]

So I am the DM, and I do use the occasional dodgy merchant, and I do track encumbrance, I also use opposed appraise rolls for gemstones so the actual value is kinda up in the air

Still, gems weigh less than coins. Besides, afaik, using appraise, you can only slide the value between 50% and 150% of actual value, so it's pretty fair to assume that even the cheapest gems appraised the worst way possible (50%) would still be more valuable than a single gold piece.

[hamishspence]

That might depend on the GM, and on how they're extrapolating from typical real world gems, to D&D gold piece values.

A 8,000 gp gem might be huge but flawed or of a not super-valuable type - but it could also be tiny, but of an extremely valuable type and flawless.

For diamonds, 1/50 of a pound corresponds to roughly 9 carats.

[Thurbane]

That might depend on the GM, and on how they're extrapolating from typical real world gems, to D&D gold piece values.

A 8,000 gp gem might be huge but flawed or of a not super-valuable type - but it could also be tiny, but of an extremely valuable type and flawless.

For diamonds, 1/50 of a pound corresponds to roughly 9 carats.

I don't think that by RAW, gems actually have weight.

I mean, I know that sounds stupid, but then again by RAW, rings, amulets, etc. are also weightless.

Gem of Brightness, Gem of Seeing, Strand of Prayer Beads etc. have no listed weight.

On the other hand, the Chaos Diamond, described as being the size of a man's fist, does have a listed weight: 1 lb

[Morty_Jhones]

ppersonaly I would keep them all.

Very light and portable.

easy to hide.

Everyone takes them as currancey.

ok so theres a vew monsters in D&D who will target to for carring Jems but that emegancy bribery coin might save your hide.

on the spesifich though.

emeralds are used by a couple of druid spells and as focuses for magic items.
rubies are used by Eternal flame and direct fire spells that don't uise sulpher. You only need a pinch but you do need some.
Holy spells use silver dust

dimonds are used by so many spells as a component that they are a default keep.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Definitely keep the gems over coins.

Coins weigh much more (every 50 coins is 1 lb. Regardless which coins they are), while a single gem may be worth tens if not hundreds of gold pieces and have negligible weight. Gems and pieces of art always keep their full value and can be used as a means of payment.This. Gems can be directly used as currency, and they tend to weigh much less than coins for their value; not to mention the volume differential.

It'd be like trading a $100 bill for 10,000 pennies in loose change (not even bound up in rolls).

[Feldar]

When you find gemstones which ones should be kept for 1 reason or another and which are good to sell, at what value ranges?

Or from a DM's perspective which gems do you try to give a party specifically, or do you always use the random generation tables?

There is generally zero reason to sell gemstones unless you need hard cash for a specific reason. They are light and extremely portable. That being said, they're also easy to filch...

I picked up Gemstones at Half-Priced Books and use this when placing gemstones as treasure. It gives great descriptions and pictures. It's much more interesting for the party to get schrol, celestine, and hamburgite than diamonds, pearls, and rubies. Also, since hamburgite looks like diamond under some lights, there's room for misunderstanding and humour.

When describing gemstones and their value to my players, I always give vague approximations of their value since none of them have ranks of Appraise. If some unscrupulous NPC takes advantage of them for poor skill choices, it's their fault (and it has happened).

[Gallowglass]

So I am the DM, and I do use the occasional dodgy merchant, and I do track encumbrance, I also use opposed appraise rolls for gemstones so the actual value is kinda up in the air

I have no problem with this as long as when your PCs maximize their appraise rolls and use Knowledge:Local to find reputable merchants and/or dumber merchants, you let them make a profit by overselling gems.

[Feldar]

I have no problem with this as long as when your PCs maximize their appraise rolls and use Knowledge:Local to find reputable merchants and/or dumber merchants, you let them make a profit by overselling gems.

My players can get away with this if they do the work. So far they haven't. However, actions have consequences.

[Roninblack]

I have no problem with this as long as when your PCs maximize their appraise rolls and use Knowledge:Local to find reputable merchants and/or dumber merchants, you let them make a profit by overselling gems.

I guess I'm just a strict guy, yeah if they intentionally set out to swindle merchants then they normally succeed, but I rarely screw them over, and if they didn't take appraise they should be finding someone to appraise the item before they sell it.

[Feldar]

Folks (especially GMs) should also remember that Appraise is not a substitute for Knowledge skills (or Bluff skill for that matter). It is literally an estimate of something's value based on the appraiser's experience buying and selling as well as witnessed buying and selling. If the characters come across silk but none of them have ever seen it, appraise will not do them much good.

It doesn't matter if the character gets a 100 on an Appraise skill check if you think your hamburgite is really a diamond -- merchants who deal in high-price gemstones will know the difference and laugh the character out of their shops. They might notify the city watch too, and for that matter the local gang of thieves probably keeps a pretty good watch on those merchants...

[Gallowglass]

Folks (especially GMs) should also remember that Appraise is not a substitute for Knowledge skills (or Bluff skill for that matter). It is literally an estimate of something's value based on the appraiser's experience buying and selling as well as witnessed buying and selling. If the characters come across silk but none of them have ever seen it, appraise will not do them much good.

It doesn't matter if the character gets a 100 on an Appraise skill check if you think your hamburgite is really a diamond -- merchants who deal in high-price gemstones will know the difference and laugh the character out of their shops. They might notify the city watch too, and for that matter the local gang of thieves probably keeps a pretty good watch on those merchants...

A PC of midling levels who has maximized their Appraise skill is going to be far better than most merchants simply by the rules of the skill system.

Not saying it makes sense, just saying a rules lawer RAW or die PC has a point.

[False God]

Onyx, Rubies, Diamonds and Pearls(though not technically a gem but we'll let Steven Universe argue that one) are prime gems to keep for spell reasons.

I often make characters who like one type of gem or another for themselves, just as a character element. Amethyst and Emeralds are my personal favorites, so it's usually that.

Selling gems is ideal in an economy that favors the standard currency (coinage) over trade goods. This is not an exceptionally modern concept, but can present interesting conundrums to the party when they need to carry 5 different kinds of currency for 5 different nations instead of just shiny rocks. (yes, I have enforced this rule and had DMs enforce this rule)

Keeping gems can generally be advantageous for trading with intelligent monsters. Even if a silver or gold coin has its own inherent value.

[Biggus]

When I DM I tend to assume that for high-value purchases (10,000GP+) gems are the typical method of payment and are the preferred way for adventurers to carry vast sums of wealth around. Even 10,000GP is 200lbs of gold; by the time you get up to a 200,000GP items that's 4,000lbs. And you'd have to wait a week while they counted it.