Rose Quartz

"We can leave our old lives behind. If this is really my world, I want to give it to the Crystal Gems. I want to live here with human beings! I want to live here with you! We'll both finally be free!"

Rose Quartz was the founder and former leader of the Crystal Gems. Enthralled by the beauty of Earth, she led her friends and allies in a rebellion against the Gem Homeworld around 5,500 years before the events of the series, successfully driving the invading Gems off the planet and saving the life forms inhabiting it. Unbeknownst to others, her identity as Rose Quartz was a facade to hide her true identity as Pink Diamond, only entrusting Pearl with the truth until its revelation thousands of years later. Rose later developed a romantic relationship with a human, Greg Universe, before giving up her physical form to give birth to their son, Steven, who inherited her gemstone. She is now half of Steven.

Appearance
Rose Quartz was taller and had a heavier build than the other Crystal Gems due to being in the form of quartz, standing at eight feet like Garnet and the Amethysts from the Prime Kindergarten (as seen in "Now We're Only Falling Apart"). She had bright-peach skin, defined lips with a pale pink color, bright black eyes, and very long, curly pink hair styled in thick, tube-like ringlets. Her gemstone was located where a human navel is.

First form
Garnet's story in "Your Mother and Mine" shows that Rose shapeshifted out of the standard Homeworld uniform. In truth, the first time Pink Diamond took the form of Rose she was in this uniform, pretending to be one of the soldiers created on Earth to blend in with her subjects.

Second form
After she defected from Homeworld, Rose wore a strapless, floor-length, lilac and snow trimmed, tiered white and usually pink dress with multiple layers, resembling the petals of a rose. It had a star-shaped cutout in the navel area showing her gem. She was also barefoot.

Personality
"Mom saw the beauty in everything! She really loved humans and all human stuff, and also plants and animals and everything on Earth, I think. And she really loved music, and she really loved Dad."

A natural leader, Rose Quartz had a sensitive and loving personality. In "An Indirect Kiss", she was described as feeling great sorrow when her beloved ones were hurt. She was said to see the beauty in everything "no matter how gross," showing that she treats everyone as equals. In "Ocean Gem", Greg has stated that she enjoyed hard rock and roll, fitting in with this trait. Her capacity for empathy led her to establish the Rebellion and the Crystal Gems after exploring the planet Earth and its inhabitants.

According to Bismuth, Rose was an atypical kind of Gem; choosing to be different and encouraged other Gems to be too, rather than living in accordance to her Gem Caste's values. Her doctrine was that Gems can take control of their own identities and that her race's limited display of individuality is a conviction forced upon them. In the same manner, Rose had shown displeasure towards the Gems' nature and traditions, becoming somber when reflecting on Gems' static, pre-destined existences in "Greg the Babysitter" and admitted that she never missed her old home in "Story for Steven". This discontent sparked her fascination in humans, who are always growing, changing and redefining themselves. She also described them as "funny" and "adorable."

Despite her role in the Rebellion and its consequences, Rose had a curious, adventurous and fun-loving personality, greatly resembling that of her human son Steven. She was described by Pearl and Greg as someone who "always did what she wanted." Rose tended to explore the cities and socialize much more than the rest of the Crystal Gems, who secluded themselves from the rest of the world until Steven's birth. However, she didn't understand what actually are humans for a long time, believing that human babies and adults are two different species at some point until she learnt otherwise.

Rose didn't fully comprehend the depths of human love in the early stages of her relationship with Greg, seeing that she was very confused when he tried to explain the concept of genuine affection. This led Pearl to initially believe that there wasn't much between them, confronting him with the idea that their "love" was only a phase and that his novelty would soon wear off. Seeing Rainbow Quartz gave Greg the idea to fuse with Rose, which he hoped would help them understand each other though it was a failure at the end, she started laughing at the thought in a way that he considered to be emotionally distant. When asked to talk like a real person, she was quick to admit that she didn't have a real sense of humanity and had no idea how human love worked. The two began to talk, deepening their relationship, being assumed that she had learned from Greg how to be more 'human', in a sense.

There is another unexplored side of Rose's personality – the legends surrounding her paint her as a ruthlessly efficient warrior and leader who not only commanded her fellow Gems in the rebellion but also participated in the fighting personally. Both her allies and enemies remembered her as the one who shattered Pink Diamond. This side of her personality seems at odds with the all-loving side of her, perhaps reflecting how the beauty of Earth and its lifeforms greatly affected her. It is worth noting that it was her compassion that leaded her to rebel to protect others, so this behavior isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. In "The Answer", Rose was shown fighting alongside Pearl and cracks a cocky smile before destroying a Ruby fusion, suggesting an aggressive side to her personality. As implied in "Bismuth" though, she had a strong sense of righteousness even as a warrior, refusing to go to the extent of needlessly killing Gems to win the war against the Gem Homeworld.

"Bismuth" highlights Rose's capacity for deception in the form of Bismuth, whom she poofed and bubbled due to the former's development of the Breaking Point to use its weapon mercilessly against their enemies during the war. She never told Pearl and Garnet the truth about their friend's fate to spare their feelings about her betrayal. Further examples of Rose's secretive side are shown in "Rose's Scabbard", when Pearl learnt Rose didn't confide everything to her, including Lion or the fact that she kept meaningful things in his mane. Some actions support the idea that Rose's tendency to withhold or hide information may stem from a desire to protect those close to her. Though she technically never shattered Pink Diamond, Rose managed to be remembered as the responsible. She showed some ambivalence toward her role in the war; describing as "a good thing" that Greg knew little about her. The podcast states that she is a "gray" character and didn't represent "all things pure".

Abilities
Rose possessed standard Gem abilities, including bubbling, regeneration, and superhuman durability. As she isn't truly a Rose Quartz, she possesses unique abilities those Gems don't have. The original bearer of the pink diamond gemstone, which is currently in possession of her son/successor, Rose would have been able to use all the abilities Steven has – and perhaps even more. She was highly proficient in combat. Her other abilities have been shown while she was in the form of Pink Diamond.

Fusions

 * When fused with Pearl, they form Rainbow Quartz.
 * When fused with Amethyst, they would form a Smoky Quartz.
 * When fused with Ruby and Sapphire (or Garnet), they would form a Sunstone.
 * When fused with Ruby, Sapphire (or Garnet), Amethyst, and Pearl, they form Obsidian.
 * Rose could also form Obsidian by fusing with Alexandrite; or Pearl and Sugilite; or Amethyst and Sardonyx; or Ruby and Sapphire (or Garnet) and Opal.

Natural Abilities

 * Enhanced Strength: Being a Diamond in disguise, Rose had an immense amount of strength even compared to other Gems. She destroyed the control panel to a Ferris wheel with a single punch, stopped the malfunctioning Ferris wheel and ripped off one of the seats with her bare hands in "Greg the Babysitter".
 * Enhanced Reflexes/Speed: Despite her size, Rose was extremely fast and agile. She destroyed a Ruby fusion quickly and precisely in "The Answer", as well as ripped off a Ferris wheel seat before catching a falling Greg and baby Sour Cream easily.

Skillset

 * Shield Proficiency: Rose had the capacity to summon her shield to protect her loved ones. She was capable of summoning it in larger sizes. It is powerful enough to counter the effects of the Diamonds' Corrupting Light on the individuals inside the shield.
 * Shapeshifting: Rose was adept enough in transformations to form a female human reproductive system, including a womb for Steven to be born from.
 * High Intellect: Rose was proficient in military command and strategy, able to lead the Crystal Gems from the front-lines in a successful rebellion against their Homeworld. In "The Return", Jasper stated that Rose was a masterful tactician, a crucial skill that earned her renown.

Unique Abilities

 * Healing: Rose manifested her ability to heal through her tears. Her tears could heal broken Gems/gemstones, and heal other creatures of general injuries. In "Bubbled", Eyeball mentions that she heard rumors about how Rose used her healing power to keep her Crystal Gem soldiers in contention with Homeworld's superior forces during the Rebellion. In "Monster Buddies", Garnet tells Steven that Rose tried to use her powers to save Corrupted Gems, although she was never able to heal them.
 * Resurrection: In "Lars' Head", it is implied that Rose could resurrect organic beings, giving them special powers in the process. The most notable example is Lion, whom salvation created the Pink Dimension.
 * Empathic Telepathy: According to Garnet, Rose possessed the ability to sense others and connect with them. This power was mainly seen through Steven.
 * Phytokinesis: Rose had the ability to grow sentient and not-sentient flora, which acted as her fighting guardians. The most notable examples are the Magic Spike Vines in "An Indirect Kiss" and her Magic Moss.
 * Speed of Descent Regulation: In "Steven Floats", it is revealed that Rose was able to alter her gravity, allowing her to control the speed of her ascent and descent. She was briefly seen using this power in "Story for Steven" and several times in "Greg the Babysitter".
 * Electrical Interference (Possible): In "We Need to Talk", Rose appeared to be able to control Greg's radio based upon her emotion. For instance, when she was shocked, the music stopped. However, like her son, it is unknown if she possessed it or if this was for dramatic effect.

Weaponry

 * Rose's Sword: Rose possessed a great sword that she has used during battle. As stated in "Bismuth", the sword was designed for a fair fight, to cut through a Gem's physical form, destroying the body but never the gem. Bismuth calls it her "finest piece of work." It also had its own scabbard. It was later smashed by Blue Diamond in "Reunited".
 * Laser Light Cannon: Rose once owned a cannon that shot a powerful beam that could destroy an object such as the Era 1 Red Eye that the Crystal Gems couldn't destroy on their own. It activates by reciting Greg's favorite catchphrase, "If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs." However, its strength is overwhelmed by current Homeworld technology. The weapon is currently in possession of the Gems after retrieving it from Greg's storage unit in the episode "Laser Light Cannon".
 * Rose's Secret Armory: Rose had an armory full of Gem and human weapons and armors, including more Laser Light Cannons and the Robot Shooty Thing. She kept this place as a secret from the rest of the Crystal Gems, except Pearl, Lion and presumably Bismuth. Lion brought Steven and Connie Maheswaran there in "Lion 2: The Movie".

Legacy
At one point about 5,000 years prior to the events of the series, Rose led the Crystal Gems in a rebellious war against the Homeworld Gems on the Gem Battlefield and wins. Jasper states that although they fought on different sides, she respected the military tactics that Rose used during the war. Rose left behind a fabricated story of the shattering of Pink Diamond in which she is responsible for it. This version was taken for fact by both sides of the war, which eventually culminated in the use of the Corrupting Light by the Great Diamond Authority. Due to her actions, Homeworld later created rumors about Rose's origins portraying her as a villain and/or tried to hide her existence in Era 2.

As revealed in "An Indirect Kiss", Rose had a spring filled with her magical healing tears to heal her allies. Many thousands of years later, the remaining Diamonds and her son Steven later reversed the corruption on most of the surviving Gems on Earth using the water of her Fountain in "Change Your Mind".

The Crystal Gems often reminisce about Rose and express their gratitude for her actions. As seen in "Story for Steven", the Crystal Gems (excluding Rose) didn't wear stars on their outfits at the time that she met Greg. This implies that the symbol may have been adopted as a sign of respect and grief for Rose after she gave up her physical form.

Greg often laments over her departure with seemingly similar reasons. A portrait of Rose hangs over the doorway to the Beach House. While pregnant with Steven, knowing that she could never meet him personally, Rose made a video with the intent of posthumously expressing her love for him. She also made a similar tape for "Nora," uncertain if her child would be male or female.

Steven Universe
"And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you and loving being you." Steven is Rose's son, whom she gave up her physical form for and inherited her gemstone. According to Garnet, he is a "fusion of love". While she knew they couldn't exist at the same time and thus never got to meet her son, Rose cherished Steven even before his birth, showing nothing but pride and happiness for the kind of person he would become. According to herself, she couldn't wait for him to join them. She assured Steven in a video she left behind that when he loves being himself, it is really Rose loving Steven and loving being a part of him. Rose trusted Steven to carry on her mission of protecting the Earth after her passing. He is similar to her, both being adventurous, empathetic and loving, having a great impact towards others.

"Bismuth" portrays Rose differently to Steven after finding out that she had poofed and bubbled Bismuth without telling Pearl and Garnet. As a result, he shows his respect for her by promising to tell everyone what happened, giving her closure before poofing, unlike Rose. "Back to the Moon" and "Bubbled" causes Steven to doubt more on what he thinks about Rose after learning about the alleged shattering of Pink Diamond during the Rebellion, first mentioned by Eyeball, then confirmed by Garnet. In "Mindful Education", one of Stevonnie's hallucinations is the giant head of Rose Quartz staring down menacingly at them, further highlighting Steven's doubts on what he should think of his mother. In "Storm in the Room", Steven conceives his mother using her room, in which they bonded through various activities a normal parent and child would do such as football. When Steven was going to take a picture of him and Rose together, he quickly realizes that the Rose with him is merely an incarnation of what Steven knows of her. He breaks down into tears because he believes Rose is a liar so she can paint herself in a saintly light and only created Steven to get away from the problems she has caused for everyone involved. Rose denies this, however, saying she wanted to have Steven out of love. Assuming good faith towards his mother, he hugs her as she is blown away like a cloud, causing Steven being unsure what to think about his mother anymore. However, it is later shown in episodes like "Lion 4: Alternate Ending" that he believes that Rose may have left him a destiny to fulfill only to discover that she never intended that.

Matt Burnett and Ben Levin state that the Crystal Gems had planned to not inform Steven about certain things "for his own good" and out of respect to Rose's wishes. In "The Trial", he has come to admit she was guilty of her crimes and calls her a war criminal, showing that Steven now sees his mother as the cause of everything bad in his life and blames her for that, seeing her now as just a criminal he must atone for her crimes. With the revelation that Pink Diamond was, in fact, Rose Quartz, Steven's feelings towards his mother remain mixed. While he is relieved to learn that she never shattered anyone, he is troubled by the extent of her deceit and the pain it has caused for the Crystal Gems.

Greg Universe
"Oh, you're hilarious, Mr. Universe." Greg Universe was the romantic partner of Rose Quartz until she brought Steven into the world. They met at one of his one-man band concerts in Beach City, where she was the lone attendee. Their relationship started out rocky because Rose didn't really understand how human romantic relationships worked, but things got better over time.

The two seemed to have had an excellent relationship, but most of what is known come from his point of view. He said that they became inseparable, yet he had no idea "what a magical lady like her ever saw in a plain old dope like [him]." She used his catchphrase as the activation words for her Light Cannon, reflecting her feelings towards him. They ended up "fusing" into an entirely new being, Steven.

Crystal Gems
"Huh? Oh, them? Those are three long stories." Rose Quartz was previously the leader of the Crystal Gems before she brought Steven into existence. The group seems to hold her in high esteem. In the episode "Laser Light Cannon" for instance, Amethyst is quoted as saying, "If Rose were here, this would be so easy!" The members of the group seem to mourn her disappearance from the world after she gave up her physical form to create Steven, though they do not hold Steven accountable for the loss.

In an in-character interview with Newsarama, Pearl seems to confirm that Rose Quartz was a leader of the Crystal Gems, noting, "Brilliant leaders do brilliant things, that is why you look to them for answers, answers no one else could have, that is why you trust them, even when you can not understand why they chose... Greg." Following the revelation that Rose was Pink Diamond, the remaining Crystal Gems, notably Sapphire, feel a mixture of confusion and anger for Rose's deception. However, they still share her objectives and understand her actions to some level.

Lion
Hundreds of years ago, Lion traveled with Rose Quartz in a pack of lions when she visited the Desert. At some point, he died and was resurrected when she cried over his body. Since then, Rose entrusted Lion with the key to her landfill and got him familiar with many of her special locations, such as her fountain and armory. She also trusted him with her most important belongings, which are stored inside of his pocket dimension, implying that the two had a very strong and close relationship.

Pearl
"My Pearl. You're wonderful..." Pearl was Rose's second-in-command and confidant in the war against Homeworld and once her personal Pearl during her reign as a Diamond. Matt Burnett has described their relationship as "complicated". After witnessing Garnet's first fusion, Pearl made a failed attempt at fusing and tried to apologize for her impulsive decision and how she needs to stop imagining things about her relationship with Rose, only for Rose to urge her to never stop which resulted in an accidental first Rainbow Quartz fusion. Rose had high respect for Pearl, to the point where she called her "My Pearl", something that Homeworld Gems call their superiors. It is explained by Garnet that, during the war, Pearl was extremely protective of Rose to the point of ignoring all logic and reason, and was willing to risk her own life to ensure Rose's safety repeatedly. It is implied that this recklessness sparked heated arguments between the two of them. Ironically, it was revealed in "A Single Pale Rose" that "Rose Quartz" was a persona Pink Diamond created and asked Pearl to help to frame her own assassination and make "Rose Quartz" a culprit. Pink Diamond's last order as Pearl's diamond was to never tell this to anyone.

Rose cared deeply for Pearl, who claimed that she was closer to Rose than the other Gems were. She trusted Pearl with the information she didn't tell Garnet and Amethyst. She seems to value this connection highly; in "Rose's Scabbard," Pearl became furious when she realized that there was information that Rose kept even from her. In "Sworn to the Sword", it is stated by Pearl that Rose made her "feel like [she] was everything." After the episode "We Need To Talk", it was confirmed that Pearl's feelings for Rose were of the romantic kind. The true nature of Rose's affections for Pearl was revealed in "Now We're Only Falling Apart" where Steven comments on how Pearl swept Rose off her feet and how Sapphire felt the same when she came on Earth with Ruby.

Garnet
Rose was the first Gem to accept Garnet for being a fusion between two different Gems. This acceptance would ultimately play a key factor in Garnet's decision to join Rose and the Crystal Gems. Like Pearl and Amethyst, Garnet holds much respect for Rose and was deeply saddened with her passing. Garnet is shown to believe in Rose's ideology strongly and is committed to carrying on her cause by leading the Crystal Gems in her absence. This reverence for Rose is demonstrated in "It Could've Been Great", when Garnet becomes angered at Peridot's criticism of her former leader and her legacy, to the point of threatening Peridot.

Amethyst
Rose and the other Crystal Gems found Amethyst in the abandoned Prime Kindergarten. The two had a close relationship, as Amethyst made a comment in "Maximum Capacity" that suggests Rose always was there for her. Rose "protected" Amethyst from having to know troubling truths related to Homeworld; sheltering her from knowing the full truth of her origin and therefore she wasn't free to build on that aspect of her identity until much later. This was because she didn't want Amethyst to have the restrictions of the Gem society they rejected, but that meant Amethyst didn't have the chance to rebel against or choose to follow anything associated with them. Still, Amethyst is shown to think highly of Rose, who returned to her positive regard. In "Crack the Whip", she reveals that Rose had told her that she is perfect the way she is, conveying that Amethyst's defective nature didn't diminish Rose's opinion of her.

Bismuth
Bismuth is a Crystal Gem and one of Rose's closest friends and followers. However, Rose didn't accept Bismuth's ideas of shattering Homeworld Gems for winning the Rebellion and bubbled her away in Lion's mane after an argument and fight over the use of the Breaking Point. Unlike her son, she never revealed the truth to her friends. When Steven revealed to her that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond, Bismuth screamed in a pool of lava in shock before proclaiming, "It all makes sense now!"

The Great Diamond Authority
"Blue Diamond, leave this planet! This colony will not be completed!" Rose was a member of the Great Diamond Authority when she was known as Pink Diamond, who created the Rose Quartz alias so she could rebel against the Diamonds and save Earth. During her rebellion, Rose directly attacked Blue Diamond's Cloud Arena and later expresses regret over leaving Garnet at her mercy. After Pink Diamond's alleged shattering at the hands of Rose, the other Diamonds felt a great amount of fury and hatred towards Rose, with Blue and Yellow Diamond not finding out the truth behind Pink Diamond's faked shattering until "Reunited". In "Change Your Mind", the remaining three Diamonds are seated at the Rose Quartz statue when healing the Corrupted Gems at Rose's Fountain, finally establishing peace with their mortal enemy.

Unknown Male Humans
Rose admitted to having loved other humans before loving Greg. However, she later admitted to not understanding human love, casting doubt on this claim. In "Mr. Greg", Pearl passively mentions that Rose met with various men throughout her stay on Earth, but Greg was the first that she ever had a significant romantic relationship with. Garnet's story in "Your Mother and Mine" implies that Rose first fell in love with a human man before the Rebellion and that it likely was one reason for her trying to save Earth.

Sour Cream
"Greg the Babysitter" revealed that Rose knew Sour Cream for a short while, though only while he was a baby.

Trivia

 * Ian Jones-Quartey confirmed that Rose's skin color is based on a peachy light pink color, like some kinds of rose quartz stones.
 * The blast emitted by the Laser Light Cannon and Quartizine Trio assumes a shape loosely resembling her.
 * Rose's style of dancing when fusing was similar to Waltz.
 * Rose's symbol repeatedly appears throughout the series, such as when the door appears to her room, in the middle of Steven's shield, in the handle of her sword, and on the Crystal Gems' battle flag during the Rebellion.
 * Rose gave up her physical form on August 15, the date Steven was born.Rose Quartz GTTCG Page.png.]]
 * When asked how she decided to "kill off" Rose, Rebecca Sugar cryptically replied, "Is she dead?" This statement was most likely referring to the fact that Rose gave up her physical form to give birth to Steven, thus making her "still alive", albeit in a limbo-like state inside her son's gemstone.
 * In "Rose's Room", when Steven is falling through space in Rose's room, a Tiny Floating Whale speaks to him in Rose's voice saying, "What do you want, Steven?"
 * Rose bears a great resemblance to Granmamare from the film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.
 * Both have long wavy hair that is similar in color (Granmamare's being red, and Rose's being pink) and wear long gowns and pink lipstick.
 * Both are also extremely powerful and have high esteem, with Rose being the leader of the Crystal Gems and a Diamond, and Granmamare being the Queen of the Ocean.
 * Both are considered to be very wise, understanding, benevolent beings and have a love for humans and life on Earth.
 * Both have children with humans: Rose had a child with Greg Universe and Granmamare with Fujimoto.
 * Rose is similar in some respects to Kenshin Himura from the manga and anime Rurouni Kenshin.
 * Both have violent pasts and fought in rebellions against oppressive regimes (Kenshin fought against the Tokugawa Shogunate during Japan's Meiji Restoration and Rose fought for Earth's independence from the Great Diamond Authority).
 * Both have normally cheerful personalities but can become very serious when their allies are threatened.
 * Both carry swords designed for incapacitating opponents.
 * Rose bears a similarity to Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of love, desire, fertility, beauty, war, combat, and political power. An example of this is Ishtar often being portrayed alongside her seven lions.
 * It was assumed in "Earthlings" that her Diamond, along with Jasper's, was Pink Diamond until her true self was revealed. However, Pink did create actual Rose Quartz soldiers that served under her.
 * Rose Quartz's gemstone design was one the inspirations for the DVD cover of the Steven Universe Season 1 (Australian Set).
 * According to Eyeball's statements in "Bubbled", it is possible that Rose was the only (or at least one of the few) existing Gem with healing powers. This possibility is further supported in "The Trial".
 * Though this has been disproved, as White, Blue, and Yellow Diamond are all mentioned or shown to have healing powers in "Legs From Here to Homeworld". This is further shown in "Change Your Mind".
 * Rose quartz is a gemstone that is associated with heart, empathy, healing, love, friendship, peace, and confidence, which perfectly describes Rose's personality.
 * It was implied by Ian Jones-Quartey that Rose was indeed a Quartz Gem, repeating that her name is Rose Quartz (with emphasis on "Quartz"), never confirming or denying that she was a Quartz Gem or not. However, this was simply to deter fans from Rose's true identity being Pink Diamond, which was revealed later in "A Single Pale Rose".
 * He also explained that the reason why Rose Quartz soldiers' abilities are defensive-orientated, as opposed to being offensive (like Jasper and Amethyst), is that "[Quartzes] can't all be tanks".

Gemstone
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