Crystal Gems

"♫ When we arrived on Earth from out beyond your star, we were amazed to find your beauty and your worth. We will protect your kind, and we will protect your Earth. And we will protect your Earth! And we will protect you! ♫"

The "Crystal Gems" are a group of Gems who, unlike the rest of their kind, seek to protect the Earth instead of invading it and are the self-proclaimed guardians of humanity. The title, Crystal Gems, is what distinguishes them from the Homeworld Gems.

Current members

 * Garnet: The de facto leader of the group and a fusion Gem who wields a pair of gauntlets.
 * Sapphire: Half of Garnet.
 * Ruby: Other half of Garnet.
 * Amethyst: The care-free member of the group who wields an up to three-tailed whip and the youngest aside from Steven. Unlike the other Gems (besides Steven, who is also from Earth), Amethyst was made on Earth, in the Kindergarten.
 * Pearl: The intellectual and precise member of the group who wields a spear.
 * Steven Universe: A half-human member of the group who can summon a shield and a bubble, also the youngest. Son of Rose Quartz, the founder of the Crystal Gems, who gave up her physical form to give birth to him.

Known Crystal Gem Fusions

 * Opal (Revealed in "Giant Woman"): A four-armed, tall and slender Gem who wields a bow. She is the fusion of Pearl and Amethyst.
 * Sugilite (Revealed in "Coach Steven"): A gigantic and bulky Gem who wields a flail. She is the fusion of Garnet and Amethyst.
 * Alexandrite (Revealed in "Fusion Cuisine"): An extremely tall six-armed fusion of Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst.
 * Stevonnie (Revealed in "Alone Together"): A teenage-looking fusion between Steven and Connie, mostly human.
 * Garnet: A fusion of Ruby and Sapphire, as confirmed in "Jail Break".
 * Rainbow Quartz (Revealed in "We Need to Talk") : The fusion of Rose Quartz and Pearl.
 * Sardonyx (Revealed in "Cry for Help") : The fusion of Pearl and Garnet. She wields a war hammer.

Former Members

 * Rose Quartz: Steven's mother and the former leader and founder of the Crystal Gem, who is one half of Steven.
 * The Cluster's Gems
 * Gem Monsters (corrupted gems)

Allied Members

 * Greg Universe ("Laser Light Cannon", "Ocean Gem" and "The Message")
 * Connie ("Ocean Gem"), and it is unknown if she is allied with Steven since "Sworn to the Sword".
 * Lion (since "Steven's Lion")
 * Lapis Lazuli ("The Message", "Jail Break")

History
The exact origins of the Crystal Gems are unknown. What is known is that when the Homeworld Gems attempted to invade Earth, Rose Quartz, thinking it was unfair to all the creatures already living on the planet, started a rebellion and formed the group. In "The Return", it is revealed that at one point there were enough Crystal Gems to constitute an army, but all except a few of Rose's closest friends, whom she protected with her shield, died. For about 6,000 years, the remaining Crystal Gems have used their abilities to defend Earth from countless magical threats. However, Rose Quartz, as a great admirer of humanity, gave up her physical form to give birth to a half-human child, Steven Universe. The other Crystal Gems, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, consider Steven an important member of the Crystal Gems, and the three have taken it upon themselves to raise and teach him how to use his powers.

In several episodes, Pearl references that there are/were many more Gems, but never elaborated on the absence of other Gems on Earth, implying that they all may have died or disappeared. In the episode "Ocean Gem", it is revealed that there are in fact other Gems, and that the monsters the Crystal Gems fight to defeat are former Gems that had gone corrupt. As of now, only seven known (alive) uncorrupted full Gems have been named, counting the two Gems fused into Garnet, Lapis, Peridot, and Jasper.

The episode "Space Race" revealed that there are more Gems, but on different Gem-controlled planets. The Galaxy Warp was the main hub that was used to travel off-planet to other planets. Currently, all of the warp pads in the Galaxy Warp are destroyed.

In "On the Run", it is revealed that Rose Quartz, Pearl, and Garnet originally came from the Gem Homeworld, whilst Amethyst was formed on earth in a Gem Kindergarten. Amethyst is the only Crystal Gem known to have been "made" in the Gem Kindergarten, though there were at least hundreds of parasitic ones. Their traces are seen as the "holes" of the injected gems.

The Crystal Gems may be exiles or traitors to the rest of Gem society. In "Space Race", Pearl makes it clear the Crystal Gems are trapped on earth. In "Warp Tour" however, the appearance of Peridot and fixing of the warp pads greatly upset the other Gems who began to panic because it meant that "they're coming back".

"On the Run" revealed that the Homeworld had previously built machines which were capable of 'manufacturing' new Gems in a specific place called "Kindergarten". It is later revealed that this method of creating new Gems is very invasive and damaging to the planet; the gestating Gem drains the lifeforce out of the surrounding area in order to grow. According to Pearl, if allowed to continue as planned by Homeworld, this process would've left Earth a lifeless husk devoid of any and all life. Some of the Homeworld Gems on Earth at the time thought this highly unfair to the life on the planet and eventually led a rebellion against the Homeworld forces occupying Earth. Led by Rose Quartz, this faction called themselves Crystal Gems and were eventually victorious. However, the Crystal Gems and their human allies suffered heavy losses. As a result, the survivors were all branded traitors to their own kind and left stranded on Earth."Keeping it Together" revealed that many fallen Crystal Gem members had the shattered shards of their Gemstones collected by Homeworld. The shards were then unnaturally fused with each-other in Kindergarten in an attempt to recreate a working Gemstone. This resulted in the creation of abominations known as Clusters.

Trivia

 * List of known Crystal Gems and their ties to birthstones (by month).
 * Garnet - January
 * Steven/Rose Quartz - January (Alternative)
 * Amethyst - February
 * Pearl - June
 * Alexandrite - June (Alternative)
 * Ruby - July
 * Sardonyx - August (Alternative)
 * Sapphire - September
 * Opal - October
 * As of "Reformed" Steven is the only member who doesn't have a new outfit.
 * Rose seems to have been an outlier in the gem world, her compassion for other life forms does not seem to be shared by her fellow gems and her love of humanity was seen as unorthodox.
 * The name "Crystal Gems" might have been adopted after the war as Peridot seemed unfamiliar with the name in "Marble Madness".
 * It is also possible that Peridot was not present during or affiliated with the war.
 * Alternatively Homeworld might have erased the Crystal Gem Rebellion from their records.
 * The process for each Gem to summon their weapons depends on a different state of mind for each of them.
 * Amethyst places little effort or concentration, claiming that it "just happens" when she needs to summon her weapon.
 * Pearl claims her process as being perfect and calculated, using the "dance" of a flower petal in the wind to describe how hard-work and dedication can help master the properties of one's own gem and "perform their own dance."
 * Garnet claims that she summons her gauntlets by linking her mind with the energy of all existing matter, channeling the collective power of the universe through her gem(s), matching her calm and meditative temperament.
 * Steven's means of summoning his shield relies on him needing to protect people he cares about. Although in "Gem Glow", the joy associated with eating Cookie Cat ice cream was what summoned it. In both Ocean Gem and The Return appearances, he summoned it when it was needed to protect those he loved from a large threat, much like his bubble in "Bubble Buddies".
 * Steven is the only member of the Crystal Gems whose skin isn't the same color as his gem, though his skin still exhibits a pink and reddish hue.
 * Their gemstone placement seems to correspond to their personalities, actions, and how they think.
 * Amethyst's gem is over her heart; she tends to be fun loving, and often does whatever she wants.
 * Pearl's gem is on her forehead; she tends to over-think things and be a perfectionist.
 * Garnet's gems are on her hands; she tends to not talk often and respond through action instead.
 * Steven's gem is over his stomach; he tends to go with his gut instinct.
 * All Crystal Gems except for Ruby and Sapphire have stars located somewhere on their outfits. It's interesting to note that in the flashback in "Story for Steven" from before Rose died, none of them had stars except for Rose herself. This may mean the Crystal Gems adopted the star in memory of Rose Quartz. TheCrystalWater.png's Water Clones.]]
 * Steven: on his T-shirt.
 * Garnet: on the chest area of her body suit and on her gauntlets.
 * Amethyst: grey star-shaped patterns on her leggings.
 * Pearl: on her top.
 * Opal: on the draping section of her shirt.
 * Rose Quartz: star-shaped hole on the torso of her dress, showing her gem.
 * Sugilite: black and purple star-shaped patterns on her leggings and painted on her nails.
 * Alexandrite: special four-pointed star-shaped cutouts on her leggings and star-shaped hair.
 * Sardonyx: black star on the white part of her top.
 * Several allies of the Crystal Gems also have stars incorporated into some of their outfits or designs:
 * Greg has a star on his shirt in the flashbacks in "Story for Steven" and "We Need to Talk".
 * Lion has a five-pointed mane.
 * According to Rebecca Sugar, Gems do not need to eat or sleep, but they can enjoy doing so anyway.
 * The gemstones themselves seem to correspond with the Crystal Gems personalities.
 * Pearl's gem, a pearl, being automatically smooth and perfect.
 * Amethyst's gem, an amethyst, being coarse and rough.
 * Garnet's gem, a garnet, specifically focused on raw garnets, which are mysterious with just a little bit of red peeking through hidden inside.
 * Rebecca Sugar and Ian confirmed that all gems are sexless (with the exception of Steven) and use female pronouns to refer to one another.
 * This is demonstrated in "Ocean Gem", when Pearl called Lapis "she".
 * Pearl also referred to Rose as "she" while reminiscing in "Rose's Scabbard".
 * The 50/50 rumor was a misunderstanding, meaning, there was a 50/50 chance she had picked male pronouns for all gems, or female pronouns for all gems, and in the end, she picked female.
 * It is also stated many times that Gems can take on any form they want, meaning they can appear masculine but will still use female pronouns.
 * Rebecca Sugar also confirmed that the Crystal Gems are somewhat like her, especially Pearl.
 * Rebecca Sugar confirmed that each of the Crystal Gems is based on one of the stages of the human emotional development spectrum.
 * Steven is codependent.
 * Common in most children as children are dependent on their parents or any adult figures on practically anything and everything, as they are expected to be.
 * Amethyst is counter dependent; the explorer and rebel, fighting authority even if it's a bad idea.
 * Common in teens and young adults. People here know that they have free will and will tend to distrust and challenge authority. Known as the rebellious stage.
 * Pearl is group-dependent; the responsible manager, legalistic to a fault.
 * Group-dependent people are ready on taking on responsibilities and expects others to be group-dependent as well. Tends to be obsessed with the notions of obligation and duty.
 * Garnet is independent; free to take on the burdens of others, can be a bit reckless, and is understanding of the growth that risk-taking can give as well as its limitations.
 * Tend to be merciful, and kind, and generous. They will help people because they want to, and they will not help people because they do not want to.
 * One can also argue that Rose Quartz is transcendent; kind and loving to a fault. She uses everything in her power to help those in need.
 * Master of Empathy. Understanding in all situations and acts accordingly to the given situation. Merely acts to the best of their ability, understanding the limitations of their own understanding. But in being emotionally mature their actions tend to flow out in proper response to most any situation. Sympathetic when they should be. Angry when they should be. Forgiving when they should be.
 * All the gem's fighting styles are based on different dances: Pearl (Ballet), Garnet (Waacking), and Amethyst (Dancehall and Club Dancing). This might also have something to do with how they synchronize before fusing.
 * The rule that the Crystal Gems can't use their powers on humans was broken in "Keep Beach City Weird" when they attacked Ronaldo, but in that case an exception was probably made since they were trying to save Steven.
 * In "Winter Forecast", it is revealed that Garnet can pass her future vision onto other Crystal Gems temporarily by giving them a kiss to the forehead. It is currently unknown whether or not if this ability is exclusive to Garnet herself, or is shared throughout the gem race and if you can pass it on in different ways. New Crystal Gems.png
 * Each Gem has their own instrument associated with them, and is used in their theme music.
 * Pearl is piano.
 * Garnet is synth bass.
 * Amethyst is an electric drum kit.
 * Rose Quartz is guitar as heard in "Rose's Theme".
 * Steven is strings whenever he uses Rose's powers.
 * They can be heard in the instrumentals "Steven's Shield", "The Hill", "Overgrown Brambles", "Rose's Fountain", and "Lion's Mane".
 * Shown in the Episode "Rising Tides, Crashing Skies", it is seen that the Crystal Gems own a laptop. It looks very similar to a MacBook Air, only instead of an Apple on the back, there is half a circle, and the keys on the keyboard are merged.
 * Also, It looks like they have Google Chrome on their computer. They went on a website very similar to YouTube to watch Ronaldo's video, Rising Tides, Crashing Skies.
 * In "Story for Steven", before Steven was born, the Crystal Gems were particularly antisocial towards the humans of Beach City, keeping a wire fence up to keep humans out of that section of the beach.
 * Rose Quartz would be a considerable exception to this, as she visited other parts of the beach and saw Greg's concert, but became nervous when he insisted on following her.
 * Pearl was confused (not knowing how to make him go away) and mildly bewildered by his presence, simply referring to him as "human" or "it"
 * Amethyst acted similar to a child, asking him various questions and messing with him in different ways.
 * Garnet intended to evict him from the temple as soon as she saw him, treating him as an intruder and threatening him with violence. This was put to a halt when Rose Quartz appeared.