Pezzottaite

Pezzottaite is a Gem currently living on Mars in The Fortress. She is a formal member of the Progressives.

## Appearance

Pezzottaite is a somewhat small Gem, being slightly shorter than a Pearl and with a slender build. She has pink skin and a heart-shaped face, with an upturned nose, no lips, and red eyes without pupils. Her hair is short, with long bangs partially covering the left side of her face and a flower design on her crown. She wears a short dress, reminiscent of a kimono, with varying shades of red and pink, along with pink and red leggings and dull pink boots. Her Gemstone is on her chest.

## Personality

Pezzottaite is a self-centered Gem that will do whatever she believes will benefit her, even at the expense of others or if it is something that could be considered wrong. However, that doesn't mean she doesn't care about others; she will not abandon or betray those close to her, valuing friendship. She also is fully aware of which rules she could not get away with breaking, such as the One Rule, and conducts herself accordingly.

## History

Pezzottaite was made for Pink Diamond, and at one point assigned to the much more active Pink Zirconia as a member of her entourage. Her life was uneventful until the Rebellion began. Her superior went against orders from Pink Diamond and took part, along with all the Gems assigned to her. Pezzottaite began to scout for the small loyalist group, and it didn't take her long to discover that they were fighting against the very Diamond they had been fighting for. However, fearing what might ensue if she revealed this, she chose to keep her discovery a secret from everyone else.

The day Pink Diamond was supposedly shattered, an event, only referred to as "the exposure," occurred that caused Pink Zirconia to lose her mind. Taking her whole entourage with her, she hijacked a landed drop ship, flying it and accidentally crash-landing it on the surface of Mars. Those whose forms survived the crash gathered made their way to Pink Diamond's outpost. While Pink Zirconia was busy making the place her own, her subordinates, Pezzottaite included, found there were no available vessels and sent out a distress signal, which went unanswered. Thus, when the order was sent out to evacuate the star system, the whole group of Gems was unable to and was consequently left stranded on Mars.

For thousands of years, Pezzottaite was a formal member of her superior's "court." However, she began to argue with Pink Zirconia, and eventually left to go rogue. It didn't take long for her to find and befriend a Chrome Tourmaline with a knack for building Gem-powered machinery. With Chrome's permission, she began to offer their work to the Progressives and the Martian Loyalists in exchange for shelter and protection. While the Loyalists refused their offer, finding the Tourmaline's work abhorrent, a well-respected member of the Progressives took interest in their work, and got them into the faction as formal members. They have been working for Tiger's Eye since.

## Abilities

As an Era 1 Gem, Pezzottaite has standard Gem abilities, such as superhuman strength, bubbling, and agelessness.

### Fusions

* When fused with Chrome Tourmaline, they form Black Opal.

### Skillset

* **Tanto Proficiency:** Pezzottaite can summon a tanto almost instinctively, and is adept at using it in combat.
* **Charisma:** Pezzottaite, through centuries of experience, is able to appeal to Gems from all sorts of backgrounds, and persuade them to do what she wants them to.

### Unique Abilities

* **Enhanced Sight:** Pezzottaite has vision that is far more acute than most Gems, comparable to a bird of prey on Earth.
* **Illusion Immunity:** Pezzottaite's signature ability; can see through virtually all illusions. This includes shapeshifting, allowing her to see a Gem's default form even if they have shapeshifted.

## Relationships

### Cerussite

Pezzottaite has never met Cerussite personally; however, she knows about her existence through Chrome Tourmaline. Though she is unaware if Cerussite is still alive, Pezzottaite hopes she is, if only for her partner's sake.

### Chrome Tourmaline

Pezzottaite and Chrome Tourmaline work as partners, combining the former's charisma and the latter's technical skill. The two clearly view each other as best friends, addressing one another with nicknames, and spend nearly all their time together.

### Pink Diamond

Pezzottaite's relationship with her Diamond is unknown. However, due to her ability to see through shapeshifting, she learned of her double life during the Rebellion yet chose to keep it a secret.

### Pink Zirconia

Pezzottaite was at one point assigned to Pink Zirconia, and was a part of her court for some time on Mars. During this time, the two would get into regular arguments, eventually resulting in Pezzottaite leaving the Garden without warning. She expresses scorn for her former leader, not regretting abandoning her in the slightest.

### Rhodochrosite

Pezzottaite despises Rhodochrosite, seeing right through her friendly facade and recognizing her as manipulative. Ever since their arrival in the Fortress, Pezzottaite and Chrome have been competing with Rhodochrosite for Tiger's Eye's favor.

### Tiger's Eye

Pezzottaite respects Tiger's Eye enough to carry out her requests, even if she sometimes twists them to suit her own interests. She and Chrome hold some power over the Chalcedony due to their work, and are unafraid to take advantage of it.

## Trivia

* In The Forgotten Planet, Pezzottaite's speech bubbles are pink.
* Pezzottaite's pet nickname, Raspberyl, is drawn from the common trade name and misnomer for real life pezzottaite.

## Gemology

* Pezzottaite is a rare pinkish-red mineral similar in composition to beryl and even has a similar hardness (8 on the Mohs hardness scale).
* Despite the similarities and even being part of the same mineral group, pezzottaite is a distinct mineral and not a type of beryl.
	+ Unlike beryl, pezzottaite has a trigonal crystal system and small amounts of cesium and lithium.
	+ Due to pezzottaite being similar to beryl, and its color often being comparable to raspberry red, it is often falsely marketed as raspberry beryl, or "raspberyl" for short.
* It is named after the Italian mineralogist Federico Pezzotta.
* Pezzottaite is a relatively new discovery, only being formally recognized as a distinct mineral in September 2003. It was previously believed to simply be another type of beryl.
* As a newer gemstone, pezzottaite has few metaphysical associations, not being a birthstone for any month. However, it's considered by some to be a zodiacal stone for Aries and Taurus.
* Pezzottaite is said to promote self-love and appreciation of the world around oneself.