Gemshard Dragon

Gemshard Dragons were released on March 28, 2015, alongside Plated Colossus and Striped River Dragons.
Gemshards have six color variants. The dragon's color cannot be determined until the egg has hatched, and the chance to get any color is influenced by the day the egg was created.
Gemshard eggs have a unique cracking sequence where the gems on the egg fall off as the egg hatches.
== Official descriptions ==
=== Egg ===
This egg is encrusted with colorful gemstones.
=== Hatchling ===
Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It has bright, shiny scales and loves to play in the sunlight.
=== Mature hatchling ===
Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It has bright, shiny scales and loves to play in the sunlight.
And look! It’s grown a forked spade at the end of its tail and long, tufted whiskers! It must be close to maturing.
=== Adult ===
Gemshard Dragons are small, gregarious, expressive easterns, living in large clans high in the jungle canopy. Their bodies are covered in tiny, gem-like scales that shimmer in direct light, and each dragon has a unique pattern of markings on the forked spade of its tail. Though Gemshard Easterns cannot fly, they often leap from springy branches high into the sky on sunny days and perform acrobatic spins and twirls to entertain themselves. When the weather turns foul, they pile up together on sturdy tree limbs and interlock the forks of their tails with others to keep warm and dry.
== Credits ==
*Odeen (All sprites, descriptions)
== Sprites ==
Jade female 				
Jade male 				
Ruby female 				
Ruby male 				
Sapphire female				
Sapphire male 				
Amethyst female				
Amethyst male 				
Aqua female 				
Aqua male 				
Citrine female 				
Citrine male 				
=== Egg sequence ===
=== Retired sprites ===
Temporary event sprites 	Temporary event sprites	Temporary event sprites	Temporary event sprites	Temporary event sprites
April Fools' Day 2022Jade female 	– 	– 	– 	
April Fools' Day 2022Jade male 	– 	– 	– 	
April Fools' Day 2022Ruby female 	– 	– 	– 	
April Fools' Day 2022Ruby male 	– 	– 	– 	
April Fools' Day 2022Sapphire female	– 	– 	– 	
April Fools' Day 2022Sapphire male 	– 	– 	– 	
April Fools' Day 2022Amethyst female	– 	– 	– 	
April Fools' Day 2022Amethyst male 	– 	– 	– 	
April Fools' Day 2022Aqua female 	– 	– 	– 	
April Fools' Day 2022Aqua male 	– 	– 	– 	
April Fools' Day 2022Citrine female 	– 	– 	– 	
April Fools' Day 2022Citrine male 	– 	– 	– 	
Retired sprites 	Retired sprites	Retired sprites	Retired sprites	Retired sprites
JadeRetired 2021 	– 	 	 	
JadeRetired 2021 	– 	 	 	
RubyRetired 2021 	– 	 	 	
RubyRetired 2021 	– 	 	 	
SapphireRetired 2021	– 	 	 	
SapphireRetired 2021	– 	 	 	
== Variant determination ==
Prior to the 15th Birthday release Gemshard variants were entirely random. Alongside the introduction of three new variants, the 15th Birthday release also implemented a time-based mechanic which influences variant depending on the day of the week the Gemshard egg was created.
Variant 	Variant	Day of week
Jade 	 	Monday
Ruby 	 	Tuesday
Sapphire	 	Wednesday
Amethyst	 	Thursday
Aqua 	 	Friday
Citrine 	 	Saturday
Random 	 	Sunday
== Encyclopedia entry ==
== Trivia ==
*After a user commented that laying gemstone-studded eggs must be painful, Odeen revealed that the gems are not produced within the bodies of the dragons, but rather added manually to the eggshells for protection before they harden.
*The original three colors were referred to by Odeen as ruby, jade, and azure.Forum post by Odeen; 2015-03-28 - March Release Following the release of an additional three variants, the variants were referred to as ruby, jade, sapphire, citrine, amethyst, and aqua or aquamarine.Forum post by Odeen; 2021-05-21 - Dragon Cave's 15th Birthday!
== Additional information ==
Regarding Gemshard tail-interlocking behavior:
Odeen also responded to a remark on similarities between Gemshards and World of Warcraft's Cloud Serpents:
== References ==
Category:2015-03-28 March 2015 release
Category:2021-05-21 15th Birthday release
Category:Air Element Dragons
Category:Alternates
Category:Change aligned dragons
Category:Dragon breeds
Category:Eastern dragons
Category:Encyclopedia Entry
Category:Jungle
Category:Odeen
Category:Primary Affinity: Air
Category:Standard dragons
Category:Striped breeding: Blue
Category:Striped breeding: Green
Category:Striped breeding: Red
Category:Striped breeding: White
Category:Time-based alternates
Category:Uncommon dragons