Crystal Gems

“	This is our home, our planet, our friends and family! We are the Crystal Gems!	”
—Steven Universe, "Reunited"

The Crystal Gems, also referred to as the Rebels, are a group of Gems established by Pink Diamond under the guise of Rose Quartz. Unlike the rest of their kind, they seek to protect the Earth instead of exploiting it and are the self-proclaimed guardians of humanity. Their title distinguishes them from Homeworld Gems.

Members

Garnet: The de facto leader of the group and a fusion Gem who wields a pair of gauntlets, later with brass knuckles added. She joined the Crystal Gems after deciding to stay a permanent fusion and meeting Rose Quartz. She is the brawler of the group, using her gauntlets to inflict destructive attacks.
- Ruby: A short-tempered Gem who makes up half of Garnet. She wields a maroon gauntlet. Initially a low-level Homeworld Gem soldier, she was to be destroyed for accidentally fusing with Sapphire, but was saved by her and stranded on Earth. She joined the Crystal Gems after deciding to stay permanently fused as Garnet.
- Sapphire: A calm, yet distant Gem, and the other half of Garnet. Any weapon aside from her future vision has not been seen. Initially a member of Blue Diamond's court, she defected to protect Ruby and joined the Crystal Gems after deciding to stay permanently fused as Garnet.
Amethyst: The carefree member of the group who wields a one-to-three-tailed whip with morning stars on the end. Unlike the other Crystal Gems (besides Steven, who is also from Earth), Amethyst was made on Earth, in the Prime Kindergarten.
Pearl: The intellectual and precise member of the group who wields a spear. She and Rose were the first members of the group.
Steven Universe: The half-human and youngest member of the group who has healing saliva, and can summon a pink shield and bubble. He is the son of Rose Quartz, the founder of the Crystal Gems, who gave up her physical form to give birth to him. After growing up in the care of his father, he began living with the Crystal Gems as a member in his adolescence.
Peridot: The maturing, curious, and stubborn one of the group. She is a natural-born technician and a certified Kindergartner. She was once an enemy to the Crystal Gems, but was officially accepted into the group after disobeying Yellow Diamond in "Message Received". Due to her natural-born skill in engineering and constructing, she is considered to be a technician and engineer of the group like Pearl. Since being poofed in "Reunited", she is currently inactive.
Bismuth: A weaponsmith of the Crystal Gems from the Rebellion era more recently brought to light. Rose showed her she could follow her own wants, but when that included shattering Gems, she and Rose got into a fight, and the latter poofed and bubbled her. She was previously bubbled in the Burning Room due to her battle with Steven over the same issue, but Steven later released her to make amends and invite her back onto the team in "Made of Honor". As stated by herself, her power is equal to Garnet.
Lapis Lazuli: A terraforming Gem formerly from Blue Diamond's court, Lapis became Steven's friend in "Mirror Gem" despite having major trust issues and low self-esteem. Starting off as an enemy of the Crystal Gems in "Ocean Gem", Lapis later became an ally by warning the group about Peridot and Jasper, then saving them by fusing with the latter into Malachite. Months later the Crystal Gems were reunited with her after Alexandrite split Malachite apart, becoming friends and roommates with Peridot at the Barn in "Barn Mates". In "The New Crystal Gems", she is declared a member of the "Crystal Temps". Lapis later fled Earth in "Raising the Barn" after hearing word of Blue and Yellow Diamond coming to Earth, only to return and officially become a Crystal Gem in "Reunited". Since being poofed in "Reunited", she is currently inactive.
Connie Maheswaran: Steven's human friend and ally. Connie took up swordsmanship in "Sworn to the Sword", to join and protect Steven and preserve his legacy. In "Rocknaldo", Steven confirms her place as a member of the group. She also serves as a member of the Crystal Temps.
Lion: A magical lion that became Steven's pet in "Steven's Lion", but was revealed in "Lion 3: Straight to Video" to have a connection with Rose Quartz, which was explored more in depth in "Rose's Scabbard".

Crystal Gem Fusions

Garnet: A tough, mysterious, and very stable fusion. First confirmed in "Jail Break", she is the fusion of Ruby and Sapphire.
Opal (revealed in "Giant Woman"): A four-armed, tall and slender Gem who wields an energy 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.
Sardonyx (revealed in "Cry for Help"): An upbeat and charismatic Gem who wields a war hammer. She is the fusion of Garnet and Pearl.
Alexandrite (revealed in "Fusion Cuisine"): An extremely tall, six-armed fusion with an extra mouth that can emit flames. She is the fusion of Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst.
Rainbow Quartz (revealed in "We Need to Talk"): A tall, slim, and acrobatic fusion. She is the fusion of Rose Quartz and Pearl.
Stevonnie (revealed in "Alone Together"): A tall, one-quarter-Gem and three-quarters human fusion. They are the hybrid fusion of Steven and Connie.
Smoky Quartz (revealed in "Earthlings"): A chubby jokester who wields a large yo-yo. They are the fusion of Steven and Amethyst.
Unknown Fusion Gem: Not much is known about this fusion. She appears to have large, curly hair and four arms. She saved William Dewey and Buddy Buddwick from the Unknown Giant Gem Monster and helped them find land centuries ago.

Former Members

Rose Quartz: Steven's mother, and the former leader and founder of the Crystal Gems who believed all life is precious. She gave up her physical form so that Steven could be born. It is later learned that she was actually Pink Diamond in a new form.
Biggs Jasper: A former member of the Crystal Gems, before being corrupted and bubbled.
Crazy Lace (mentioned by Bismuth)
Snowflake (mentioned by Bismuth)
Tiger's Eye (corrupted; mentioned by Bismuth)
Larimar (corrupted; mentioned by Bismuth)
Beryl (corrupted; mentioned by Bismuth)
Serpentine (corrupted; mentioned by Bismuth)
Other Unknown Amethysts (mentioned by Bismuth)
Two Unknown Crystal Gems (rebellion flashback in "Gemcation")
Other Crystal Gems (rebellion flashback in "Your Mother and Mine")

Allies/Companions

Greg Universe: Rose Quartz's lover and Steven's father. He knew the Crystal Gems when he was a young adult and currently supports them mostly to be a part of his son's life ("Laser Light Cannon", "Ocean Gem", "House Guest", "The Message").
Sadie Miller: Sadie aided the Crystal Gems' cause in "Island Adventure" when she helps Steven defeat the Invisible Gem Monster on Mask Island.
Pumpkin: Pumpkin is the sentient pumpkin pet of Peridot and Lapis Lazuli, created by Steven in the episode "Gem Harvest". Pumpkin stood in as the role of 'Pearl' in "The New Crystal Gems" in the team of the "Crystal Temps" with Peridot, Lapis, and Connie Maheswaran.
The "Famethyst": A group of Quartz soldiers from Earth stationed in Pink Diamond's Zoo. They befriended Amethyst and assisted the Crystal Gems in escaping the facility in "That Will Be All".
Ronaldo Fryman: A Beach City resident interested in the odd occurrences around him. He attempts to join the Crystal Gems in "Rocknaldo" going by the name "Bloodstone" after gaining an admiration for their cause. After misunderstanding what it means to be a Crystal Gem, he decides to work alone to educate people about the group by making pamphlets about the Crystal Gems.
Lars Barriga: Aboard Aquamarine's Ship, Lars was taken captive to Homeworld with Steven. Upon escaping the Diamonds and meeting the Off Colors, Lars sacrificed himself and was subsequiently reanimated by Steven. After undergoing a magical transformation, Lars leads the Off Colors as a crew of space pirates heading for Earth in "Lars of the Stars".
Off Colors: After Steven and Lars land on Homeworld, they encounter a group of unaligned Gems, cast out from Homeworld society for being abnormal, defective, permafusions, or in Padparadscha's case, having botched abilities. After befriending Steven and Lars, the Off Colors are lead by a reanimated Lars after commandeering a starship and making their getaway towards Earth.
Cat Steven: A calico cat of an unknown breed adopted by Garnet in "Pool Hopping". After finding and rescuing her and her siblings alongside Steven, she adopts her, as she had missed having someone "cute and vulnerable" to care for.
The Cluster: Comprised mostly of shattered Crystal Gems, the Cluster comes into its own and aides the Crystal Gems in "Reunited" by fighting and destroying Yellow Diamond's armship before retreating back to its bubble as it joins the group unofficially.

Temporary Allies

Topaz: During Steven and Lars' captivity, Steven manages to befriend the Topaz Fusion to the point where she almost turns on Aquamarine. Unfortunately, Aquamarine reminds her that once they turn their backs on Homeworld, she'd have nowhere to go and no way to explain how Aquamarine got poofed. As such, her two halves would be separated and shattered. Steven tries to negotiate with her two half as Lars and he are separated but to no avail.
Zircon (Defense): Zircon is assigned to defend "Rose Quartz" (Steven) in her trial, much to her dismay, and is surprised to see the form "Rose" has taken. Although their interactions are mostly influenced by her job, she tries her best to defend "Rose" to the point that she manages to come up with a strong argument. Unfortunately, she gets caught up in the moment and accuses the Diamonds, getting poofed by Yellow Diamond as a result.

History

Over 6,000 Years Ago

Pink Diamond had begged the other Diamonds for a colony of her own until she was finally allowed to have one. Pink chose Earth to be her colony, and like any other Diamond, she sent her Gems to the planet to begin building structures and Kindergartens. The Prime Kindergarten and other structures were successfully established, but Pink soon discovered the life that lived on Earth. She grew fascinated by humans and other lifeforms and knew that if the colony was completed, the Kindergartens would drain all of the life force from the Earth and destroy all life that lived there. Pink attempted to reason with the other Diamonds as to why they could not complete the colony, but when they did not listen, Pink created an alter-ego named Rose Quartz through shape-shifting. Rose Quartz would be used to start a rebellion in an attempt to save the Earth, and nobody would know that it was Pink Diamond behind it all. Pink Diamond (as Rose Quartz) and her Pearl rebelled, founding the Crystal Gems. Rose explained to Pearl that by joining her, they could never go home, and if they were caught, they would be killed, which Pearl accepted. At the Ancient Sky Arena, Pearl familiarized herself with the human concept of being a knight and using swords. Later on, Blue Diamond established her court on Earth with the goal of shattering Rose and Pearl for their rebellion. Ruby and Sapphire assisted Blue Diamond and fought against the rebels, but in an effort to save Sapphire from Pearl, Ruby accidentally fused with her, an act that is disgusting to Homeworld Gems. Because of this, Ruby was to be shattered for fusing with the high ranking Sapphire, but the two manage to get away. After spending a lot of time together and developing romantic feelings for each other, Ruby and Sapphire fuse again, and Garnet is accepted into the Crystal Gems. Over time, Rose amassed an army and was able to connect with many Gems who shared her same ideals, such as Bismuth. At the Prime Kindergarten, Rose gave a speech to the other Quartzes, asking if them if what they wanted was to inject Gems and build structures. She also asks if they will destroy the life that's already on Earth or join it. Rose's message got around and resonated with many Gems. Pink Diamond's empathy towards the Earth and beliefs about the Kindergarten's injustice instigated her to defect from her fellow Gems; she truly cared for every form of life on the planet. Another reason that Pink formed the Crystal Gems was that she disagreed with how Homeworld's society ran; she believed that Gems shouldn't have to do what the Diamonds wanted them to do, but instead choose their own lives and fate. When the Crystal Gems began to make themselves known, Pink Diamond told Yellow and Blue at the Moon Base that the colony couldn't be completed because of them, but they still would not listen. Because of this, Pink Diamond decided to wage war against Homeworld in order to save the Earth.

Over 5,500 Years Ago

The Rebellion officially begins against the Gem Homeworld. Little is known about the ensuing war. Many battles were fought and took place in different locations all over Earth, such as the Ancient Sky Arena, the Cloud Arena, and the Strawberry Battlefield. According to Eyeball, Rose was able to keep her army in contention with Homeworld's superior army because of her healing abilities. Bismuth mentions how she and Garnet took on a battalion of Quartz soldiers together, and how she and Pearl stopped a drop ship when Pearl threw the Nephrite pilot out of the ship. Bismuth supplied the Crystal Gems with weapons that she created in her forge, and Rose kept most of them in her armory. Around this time, Rose and Bismuth had a fall out due to conflicting ideas, leading Rose to bubble Bismuth and tell the Crystal Gems that she was lost at the "Battle of the Ziggurat". It is believed that humans also fought alongside the Crystal Gems.

Over 5,000 Years Ago

Around this time, Pink Diamond no longer wanted anything to do with Homeworld or her duties as a Diamond. With Pearl, Pink Diamond crushed up dirt and turned it into pink shards. Pink ate the shards and then had Pearl shapeshift into Rose and pretend to shatter her in front of other Gems. From that point on, Pink Diamond was now able to live freely as Rose and Pearl belonged to nobody.

Over 4,500 Years Ago

At this point, Earth is no longer seen as a viable colony to Homeworld. With one final effort to wipe out the Crystal Gems, the Diamonds unleashed the Corrupting Light, corrupting any Gems exposed to the blast. Rose was able to protect herself, Garnet, and Pearl from becoming corrupted with her shield.

Post Rebellion

The remaining Crystal Gems used their abilities to defend Earth from countless threats. As Rose wished, the Crystal Gems contained the Corrupted Gems in bubbles. Rose made it the Crystal Gems' mission to one day figure out how to cure Corrupted Gems. The Crystal Gems also met and recruited Amethyst, who popped out of the Prime Kindergarten too late to fight in the Rebellion. After falling in love with Greg Universe, Rose, a great admirer of humanity, gave up her physical form to give birth to a half-human child, Steven Universe. The other remaining Crystal Gems (Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl) have taken it upon themselves to raise him alongside Greg and teach him how to use his powers.

With Homeworld gaining new interest in Earth, Steven and the Crystal Gems continue to protect humanity and contain Corrupted Gems. In "I Am My Mom" and the Steven Universe Podcast, is shown that the Diamonds know that the Crystal Gems are still active but have apparently decided to just leave them alone and they aren't imagining the Crystal Gems will be an intelligent adversary, as all lifeforms Gems have encountered up to this point weren't difficult to overcome.

Manifesto of Rose Quartz

The following is the Manifesto of Rose Quartz, revealed by Pearl in The Guide to the Crystal Gems:^[1]

"Fight for life on the planet Earth,

Defend all human beings, even the ones that you don't understand,

Believe in love that is out of anyone's control,

And then risk everything for it!"

Property

Living Space

The Crystal Gems evidently own a section of Beach City's shoreline, on which the Crystal Temple and Steven's Beach House are located. The Barn belongs to Greg and his cousin Andy, but the Gems have effectively taken ownership, using it as a house for new members and to build any required machinery such as The Universe Mach 3 and the Gem Drill. Lapis Lazuli and Peridot formerly lived in the Barn which used to reside on a hill outside of Beach City. In "Raising the Barn", fearing the threat of a diamond attack, Lapis took the barn with her to the moon where it stayed until "Can't Go Back". The barn is currently a wreckage on the beach as of "Reunited".

Transport

Lion occasionally acts as transportation for the Crystal Gems to places they cannot warp to, such as the Moon Base. As of "Bubbled", they owned a Roaming Eye ship that the Rubies left behind, but it was stolen back by Navy in "Room for Ruby". They have also used the Gem Sloop for traveling at sea, though it hasn't been seen since "Cat Fingers".

Physical Weaponry

Unbeknownst to all members of the Crystal Gems except Steven, Pearl, Connie, and Lion, the team has access to an Armory containing more Laser Light Cannons and other various weaponry. They also have a Forge which can be used by their blacksmith, Bismuth.

Trivia

Instead of stars on their clothing similar to the current Crystal Gems, the Pilot versions have little gold stars pinned to themselves (Garnet's torso, Pearl's earrings, and Amethyst's hair barrette).
Rose Quartz seems to have been an outlier in the Gem Homeworld, as her compassion for other life forms does not seem to be shared by her fellow Gems; her fascination and love of humans was considered unorthodox.
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 gems, matching her calm and meditative temperament.
- Steven's means of summoning his shield rely on his feelings of passion or desire to protect other people/Gems, although in "Gem Glow", the joy associated with eating Cookie Cat ice cream was what summoned it. In both his "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".

WaterCrystalGems — The Crystal Gems as Lapis Lazuli's water clones.

All Crystal Gems, except for Peridot, Lapis, Ruby, Sapphire, and Connie have stars located somewhere on their outfits.
- Steven and Stevonnie: on his/their T-shirt.
- Garnet: on the chest area of her body suit and on her gauntlets.
- Amethyst: dark lavender star-shaped patterns on her leggings.
- Pearl: on her top.
- Bismuth: star-shaped belt and a tattoo-like marking on her right arm; after reforming, her star-shaped belt is replaced by a light red apron with a tilted star pattern.
- Opal: on the draping section of her shirt.
- Rose Quartz: star-shaped cut out on the torso of her dress, showing her gem.
- Sugilite: black and purple star-shaped patterns on her leggings (like Amethyst) and painted on her nails.
- Alexandrite: special four-pointed star-shaped cutouts on her leggings and star-shaped hair.
- Sardonyx: a black star on the white part of her top.
- Smoky Quartz: on their T-shirt and leggings.
- Rainbow Quartz: four-pointed star cutout on her navel.
Rebecca Sugar also confirmed that the Crystal Gems somewhat represent the ways she acted with her brother Steven Sugar.^[2]
Amethyst is loosely based off Rebecca Sugar's friend Valerie Ang from college.
Rebecca Sugar confirmed that each of the Crystal Gems is based on one of the stages of the human emotional development spectrum.^[3]^[4]
- 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 counterdependent; the explorer and rebel, fighting authority and ignoring the consequences of doing so.
  - Common in teens and young adults. People here know that they have free will; they usually distrust and challenge their superiors. This is also 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. They tend 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. However, in being emotionally mature, their actions tend to flow out in proper response to most any situation, expressing sympathy, anger, and forgiveness when they should.
All the Gems' 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.^[5]
The rule that the Crystal Gems won'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 on the forehead. It is currently unknown whether or not this ability is exclusive to Garnet herself, or if it is shared throughout the Gem race and if Gems can pass it on in different ways.

Crystal Gems New regeneration with Steven — The Crystal Gems together in a photo

Each Gem has their own instrument associated with them, and these respective instruments are used in their theme music.^[6]^[7]^[8]
- Pearl is a piano.
- Garnet is a synth bass.
- Amethyst is an electric drum kit.
- Rose Quartz is an acoustic guitar, as heard in "Rose's Theme".
- Steven is a chiptune and 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".
- Peridot is sine wave.
- Lapis Lazuli is a celesta.
- Bismuth is a reverse electric guitar.
  - This can be heard in "Bismuth's Forge".
In "Story for Steven", before Steven was born, the Crystal Gems were particularly asocial towards the humans of Beach City; on their half of the beach, a metal fence was up to keep humans out of that area.
- 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 asked him various questions.
  - 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).
Peridot has stated that Earth was in the Crystal System, likely where the Crystal Gems derived their name from.
With the exception of Steven and Connie, each of the current Crystal Gems are named after a different birthstone.
According to Bismuth, it was a ritual for the Crystal Gems to spar before battle.
The Manifesto of the Crystal Gems was read on the Steven Universe Recap video on Cartoon Network YouTube channel.
All known Crystal Gems (except for Amethyst, Bismuth, and Connie) have demonstrated elemental powers:
- Garnet, as seen in "The Message", has Electrokinesis, she used this ability to power the battery in Greg's Van.
  - Ruby, as seen in "Keystone Motel", has Pyrokinesis.
  - Sapphire, as seen in "Keystone Motel", has Cryokinesis, shown by first freezing the entire motel room.
- Pearl, as seen in "Giant Woman", has Psammokinesis, she used this ability to create sand figurines of herself, Amethyst and Opal, in order to show Steven how fusion works.
  - Pearl also has Nephelokinesis, as shown in "Sworn to the Sword" where she created a giant mass of fog out of thin air, this is also shown in "Mr. Greg" where she, during her song, uses the clouds to represent how Rose "left" Pearl for Greg.
- Rose Quartz, as well as Steven, has Phytokinesis, which allows them to grow sentient flora that does what their creators say, this ability was first demonstrated in "An Indirect Kiss".
- Peridot, as first demonstrated in "Too Short to Ride", has Ferrokinesis, this ability allows her to control metal objects without needing to touch them.
- Lapis Lazuli has Hydrokinesis (the power to control water) as her main power.

Birthstone

Garnet is the birthstone for January, while Ruby and Sapphire are the birthstones for July and September respectively.
- Lapis Lazuli is also the birthstone for September
Opal is the birthstone for October while Amethyst and Pearl are the birthstones for February and June respectively.
- Alexandrite is another birthstone for June.
Peridot is the birthstone for August.
- Sardonyx is also the birthstone for August.
Steven's and his mother's gemstone, Pink Diamond or Diamond, is the birthstone for April.