Jewel

*For the natural espers, see Gemstone.*

**Jewels** (宝石, *Hōseki*?), also known as **gemstones**, **gems** and **precious stones**, are pieces of mineral crystal and certain other substances, which are cut and polished to use in jewellery and other adornments, being valued by humans because of their properties.

Various pieces of folklore and superstition involve specific jewels or types of jewels, and as such, they play a role in certain forms of magic. Certain jewels also have properties which are utilized in technological applications.

## Principles

There are various classifications and types of jewel or gemstone, according to their qualities and properties (e.g. chemical composition, color, lustre, hardness, rarity etc). Most are mineral crystals, though there are certain non-mineral rocks and organic materials which are considered gemstones. The five cardinal gems of antiquity are diamond (white), ruby (red), emerald (green), sapphire (blue) and amethyst (purple). Others include garnet, beryl, topaz, opal, pearl, jade, turquoise and lapis lazuli.

Treasuring their qualities, people often use jewels to make decorative accessories, known as jewellery. Given the value and expense associated with them, jewels and the jewellery incorporating them have acted as symbols of position, with the highest being crown jewel and regalia made for monarchy.

**Birthstones** (誕生石, *Tanjōseki*?) are gems which are assigned to each of the twelve months (e.g. turquoise or lapis lazuli for December), along with the respective periods of birth and Zodiac signs. There are several different versions of the birthstone list, with the most well-known one at present being one created by the American National Association of Jewelers.

Given their ascribed value, jewels have been featured in various legends and stories. There are a number of stories involving jewels which are considered to have fallen into the "cracks". One is that of a cursed jewel said to bring misfortune and death to its owners. Another is that of a pair of a sword and a jewel that heals wounds caused by it.

One belief concerning jewels is that they can gather up the power of constellations and return it to the wearer. The harder the stone, the more power it is said to absorb, with diamond at the extreme. As such, it is thought that jewels can be used for many specific goals besides vaguely providing good fortune, such as detoxing, exorcisms, and **crystal healing** (パワーストーン, ***crystal healing***?).

Due to the values, stories and associations ascribed to jewels, they are used in various forms of magic and incorporated into certain spiritual items, with examples of the latter including Brísingamen and Divine Mixtures.

Jewels can be produced through artificial means. The analogy of the difference between a natural gemstone and an artificial one has been used to distinguish espers artificially created through the Power Curriculum Program and espers who have arisen in the natural world, the latter being referred to as Gemstones.

### Diamond

**Diamonds** (ダイヤモンド, *Daiyamondo*?) (derived from the ancient Greek adámas (ἀδάμας), which is also the base of Adamant) are crystals comprised of carbon, which are formed slowly as carbon molecules are compressed deep underground. Diamond is extremely hard and its structure does not change even if they are broken, though it is also brittle, and it can be set on fire and burned, having a high thermal conductivity.

No diamond is 100% pure, with even the purest diamond being only 99.9% pure carbon with less than 0.1% impurity. Although not the center or nucleus, the less than 0.1% of impurities (of which there are over twenty different types) determine the properties of the entire crystal, influencing its hardness, electrical conductivity, coloration, and transparency. A diamond's impurity needs to be below 0.1%, otherwise it will cause a defect in the crystalline structure.

Having the highest hardness of any natural material, diamonds are used for industrial applications such as polishing and cutting, being used for cutting purposes as both a solid tool tip and in the form of diamond dust. Among other things, diamond is used to cut other diamonds, of the same or lower strength.

The largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found is the Cullinan Diamond, also known as the Star of Africa, cuts of which are used in the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, stored in the Tower of London's Jewel House.

Artificial diamonds have been produced, by reproducing the extreme high pressure environment in which natural diamonds are formed, for various uses including both decoration and industrial applications. One practice is the creation of memorial diamonds, created by compressing the carbon in the ashes left behind after a person is cremated, though the size of the resulting diamond is usually quite small.

A supposed liquid diamond has been created in Academy City (theoretically impossible as diamonds have no melting point, and valuable as a result), though it is actually a condensation of precious metals dissolved in sea water, including gold, platinum, rare earth and carbon. The Dianoid has been described as being made out of diamonds, but it is technically made out of carbon materials, though a number of artificial diamonds are included.

One of the primary legends about St. Germain involves his possession of magical techniques relating to jewels and his ability to perfectly repair scratched diamonds, prized by nobility. St. Germain specializes in the manipulation of carbon, a further refinement from control over diamonds which are comprised of carbon, and views himself as a diamond, with the individual units in his parallel network being the carbon making up the diamond and the pill microbes as the impurity and controller.

### Ruby

Rubies, sapphires and oriental emeralds are largely composed of the mineral corundum, the crystalline form of aluminium oxide (Al2O3).

Ruby red is associated with the rose of the Rosicrucian Order, with the influenced Second Order of the Golden Dawn also being named the R.R.etA.C. (short for "Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis", meaning "Ruby Rose and Golden Cross"), and there are many rubies among the Rosicrucian treasures hidden around the world.

The brightest and most valuable shade of red in a ruby is known as blood-red or **pigeon blood** (ピジョン・ブラッド, *Pijon Buraddo*?), rubies for which include chromium (Cr). Choronzon has made use of three pigeon blood rubies to symbolize the blood of three pigeons, which was used to draw the magic circle for summoning it, and act as a medium to exert its influence.

## Chronology

### Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index

#### St. Germain Arc

*Main article: St. Germain Arc*
Diamonds were both referenced and heavily involved in the incident which occurred on December 1st, primarily taking place in the Dianoid, the construction of which made heavy use of carbon materials and included artificial diamonds, and instigated by St. Germain, who besides being famed for being able to restore scratched diamonds and capable of manipulating the carbon which forms them, viewed the parallel network making up his being as a diamond and made many analogies to diamonds.