Gems

This article is about Gemkind in general. You may be looking for Crystal Gems, Homeworld Gems, Corrupted Gems, Fusion Gems, Minor Gems, Minor Corrupted Gems, Unknown Gems, or Gemstones.

Gems are an extraterrestrial species of "magical" beings that play a key role in Steven Universe. 5,750 years ago, the Gem Homeworld maintained several outposts on Earth, with plans to completely colonize the planet, but were driven off by Rose Quartz's rebellion, leaving the Crystal Gems (and various Corrupted Gems) the only Gems on the planet.

Gem Characters

Unfused Gems

• Crystal Gems:
  • Rose Quartz (inactive)
  • Pearl
  • Amethyst
  • Ruby
  • Sapphire
  • Peridot
  • Bismuth (inactive)
  • "Crazy Lace" (unknown)
  • "Biggs" (unknown)
  • "Snowflake" (unknown)
  • Other Unknown Amethysts (unknown)
  • Two Unknown Crystal Gems (unknown)
• Homeworld Gems:
  • Diamonds
    • Yellow Diamond
    • Blue Diamond
    • Pink Diamond (shattered)
    • Unknown White Diamond
  • Emerald
  • Hessonite
  • Aquamarine
  • Topazes (left and right)
  • Peridot (Squaridot) (inactive)
  • Quartzes
    • Jasper (corrupted) (inactive)
    • Holly Blue Agate
    • The "Famethyst"
      • "Skinny" Jasper
      • Carnelian
      • Amethysts "8XG", "8XH", "8XJ", "8XK", and "8XL"
    • Unknown Bubbled Rose Quartzes (inactive)
    • Others
  • Zircons
    • Zircon (Defense) (inactive)
    • Zircon (Prosecuting) (inactive)
  • Rubies
    • "Doc"
    • "Eyeball"
    • "Leggy"
    • "Army"
    • "Navy"
    • Others
  • Pearls
    • Yellow Pearl
    • Blue Pearl
  • Centipeetle Mother (corrupted)
  • Other Unknown Gems
    • Nephrite ("Bismuth")
    • Unknown Carnelian ("Beta")
    • Pink Diamond's Pearl ("The Trial")
    • Morganite ("Off Colors")
    • Unknown Quartz Warrior ("Sworn to the Sword")
    • 67 Elite Citrines ("Lars Of The Stars")
    • Hessonite's Citrine Guards (Save the Light)
    • Hessonite's Nephrites (Save the Light)
    • Nephrite-XJ Cut-763 (Jungle Moon)

• Unaligned Gems:
  • Lapis Lazuli
  • Off Colors
    • Padparadscha
    • Rutile Twins (conjoined)
    • Rhodonite's unknown component Pearl and Ruby
    • Fluorite's six unknown component Gems
    • Rhodonite
    • Fluorite

Hybrid Gems

• Steven Quartz Universe

Fusion Gems

• Crystal Gem fusions:
  • Garnet
  • Opal
  • Sugilite
  • Alexandrite
  • Rainbow Quartz
  • Sardonyx
  • Unknown Fusion Gem
• Hybrid fusions:
  • Stevonnie
  • Smoky Quartz
• Homeworld fusions:
  • Malachite
  • Topaz fusion
  • Corrupted Jasper Fusion
  • Ruby (triple fusion)
  • Ruby (quintuple fusion)
• Unaligned fusions:
  • Fluorite
  • Rhodonite
• Forced fusions:
  • Cluster Gems
  • The Cluster

Minor Gem Characters

Main article: Minor Characters/Gems

Corrupted Gems

• Centipeetle Mother
• Worm Monster
• Pyramid Temple Gem
• Gem Cave Creature
• Desert Glass
• Big Bird
• Heaven Beetle
• Earth Beetle
• Watermelon Tourmaline
• Ice Monster
• Invisible Gem Monster
• Lighthouse Gem Monster
• Water Bear
• The Slinker
• Crab Gem Monster
• Snow Monster
• Orange Great North Monster
• Jasper
• Tongue Monster
• Flower Monster
• Unknown Giant Gem Monster
• Obelisk (comics)
• Rainbow Cloud Monster (comics)
• Old Book Gem (comics)
• Snowbeast (comics)
• Slug Monster (comics)
• Plant Monster (comics)
• Invisible Manta Ray (comics)
• Clock Tower (comics)
• Unknown Giant Bird (comics)
• The Perils of Pweepwee (comics)
• Glass Ghost (comics)
• Mollusk (comics)
• Others (minor Corrupted Gems)

Unknown Gems

Main article: Unknown Gems

Description

Garnet and Amethyst, shapeshifting to play "Steven Tag".

Gems are characterized by the gemstone embedded somewhere on their body, which is analogous to a brain.

Garnet, altering her form.

Gems' physical forms are projections from their gemstone which can be changed at will, described as being "like a hologram, but with mass," with their only constant feature being their gemstone and color scheme (shapeshifting is not permanent, and Gems will return to their "default" form eventually). Although Gems lack sexual dimorphism, Gems' physical forms typically have characteristics associated with human femininity. Because of this, all Gems are inherently sexless, with the sole exception being Steven.

There are a variety of gemstones, each of which imbues the Gem in question with specific abilities, and there are multiple Gems with the same gemstone. The gemstone can be located in many different parts of the body, regardless of Gem.

An example of both Lapis Lazuli's hydrokinesis and the Crystal Gems summoning their weapons.

Typical Gem abilities include extreme physical strength and durability, weapon-summoning, fusion, the power to 'store' material in their gemstones, the ability to use their gemstones like a flashlight, and bubble creation. Note that these are not ubiquitous, some Gems, such as Lapis Lazuli, are not able to summon a personal weapon, and Gems created in sub-optimal conditions like second era peridots lack strength. All Gems with their own weapon have the ability to direct energy through their weapons, such as Garnet using her gauntlets to charge Greg's van, Pearl firing an energy blast from the tip of her spear, and Amethyst sending bursts of energy through her whips.

Pearl retreating to her gemstone.

Gems are engineered to adapt to a variety of conditions and cannot die by natural causes. Gems do not have to breath, eat, drink, and sleep to survive, and they do not age, making them effectively immortal. They can, however, still eat and sleep if they so desire. Their bodies will also automatically alter themselves to fit the conditions of whatever celestial body or spacecraft they are on, such as adjusting mass for gravity. The only way to permanently destroy or "kill" a Gem is to destroy their gemstone. When the physical body of a Gem is seriously injured, they will retreat into their gemstone to regenerate. This is one of the only times Gems can make permanent changes to their physical form. The length of the regeneration process can range from minutes to weeks, but a "rushed" regeneration can suffer from physical deformities. Regeneration can be prevented if a gemstone is bubbled or otherwise constricted, such as within a mirror.

File:Am glitch.png

Amethyst, "glitching".

If a Gem's gemstone is damaged, their physical form will deteriorate and render them incoherent. A Gem's gemstone can be used as an energy source, even if damaged. Gem Shards, the remnants of a shattered gemstone, possess a "powerful partial consciousness" which can grant sentience to their containers and have been used to create drone soldiers. Gem Shards have also been forced to fuse together over time to form Cluster Gems.

Because Gems are created to regenerate from bodily damage, but cannot heal their gemstone on their own, a Corrupted or damaged Gem will simply regenerate into a Gem Monster. Shattered Gems similarly will also attempt to regenerate but will only produce seemingly random appendages.

Culture

Ancient Gems at the Lunar Sea Spire.

Examples of Gem language.

• There are two known main groups of Gems: Homeworld Gems and the Crystal Gems.
  • Homeworld society is ruled by the autocratic Great Diamond Authority. Its members impose a strict caste system based on gemstone, and maintain their empire by terraforming worlds (and destroying them in the process) through facilities like the Kindergarten. Homeworld society heavily stigmatizes fusion between Gems of different gemstones, and fusion between Gems of the same gemstone is reserved solely for combat (and missions requiring the force of more than one Gem, in the case of Topaz).
  • The Crystal Gems are a rebellious group of Gems established by Rose Quartz who disagree with the customs and principles of Homeworld society, particularly on its perspective toward life. Five thousand years ago, Rose instigated the Rebellion against the Homeworld Gems to protect the Earth. The Crystal Gems were able to successfully drive the Homeworld Gems off planet. As they withdrew, Homeworld forces activated a powerful weapon, corrupting the majority of the remaining Gems on Earth. Rose, Garnet, Pearl, and Bismuth were the only Crystal Gems to survive.
• Gem culture is ancient, predating all known human civilizations.

What Earth was projected to look like if the Crystal Gems had lost the war.

• Gems have their own written language, which is inscribed on many of their temples, as first seen in Steven's Room in the Pilot, despite every non-Corrupted Gem speaking "English". This may mean that they write in an English-esque script, or that written words are in a (moderately) traditional Gem language.
• Remains of Gem architecture can be seen scattered across the Earth in the form of the structures, such as the Lunar Sea Spire, the Communication Hub, and the Galaxy Warp.

  

  A mural of Yellow Diamond.

• Gem civilization is incredibly advanced, capable of creating spaceships, pocket dimensions, and teleporters.
  • Slower than light travel is now considered outdated due to the advent of teleporters. Current Gem technology is described as incomprehensible by Lapis Lazuli.
• Individuality is not highly valued among Gems. As implied in "Bismuth", this is in part a conviction the Gem elite has forced down upon lesser Gems to limit their potential. While each Gem may exhibit their own unique nuances in personality, they all primarily adhere to the fundamental behavior and preferences of their caste and types. Whatever the case might be, like organic beings, Gems are able to define their own identities and develop unique personalities of their own. The most prime examples of this are the members of the Crystal Gems.
  • Most Gems hold little value for the preciousness of life. Being part of a society where many individuals share the same traits, Gems have come to objectify any life form, organic or Gem. As such, they tend to treat each other and themselves as disposable commodities.
• While there has never been mention of Gems practicing any form of spiritualism, the existence of the Moon Goddess Statue, along with the Sea Shrine and the Pyramid Temple, implies some sort of belief system.
• Gem culture does not have a gender binary or a concept of gender.
  • Gems refer to each other using she/her pronouns but have no particular reason for doing so beyond arbitrary convenience.
    • The gendered term "mother" is also applied often to the Gem named Rose Quartz (who gave up her physical form to create Steven Universe), by Gems, humans, and Steven Universe who is half-human and half-Gem.
    • Peridot uses the term "matriarch" when referring to the Great Diamond Authority in "It Could've Been Great".
    • Amethyst refers to Jasper as "sis".
• It is initially difficult for Gems to comprehend human social customs such as marriage, parents, childhoods, birthdays, or funerals (as particularly evidenced in "Gem Harvest"). Given that Gems do not have a gender binary, and they reproduce by growing new Gems in Kindergartens, they apparently do not form romantic/social bonds comparable to marriage (Garnet's status as a "perma-fusion" is highly irregular and never occurs on Homeworld). Rose herself admitted that for a long time she did not understand that infant and adult humans are the same species: Gems are created fully formed and with adult-level knowledge, so they do not have a concept of a childhood stage of growing.

Abilities

Most or all Gems share the following abilities and traits:

• Enhanced Condition: Gems may have greater strength, speed, durability, and/or jumping ability than humans. The amount depends on the Gem type and production quality of the individual Gem - Peridot, a cheaply produced technician, is tough but physically weak, while Jasper, an "ultimate" soldier, can lift an Injector and survive a Gem Warship's explosion.
• Non-Senescence: Gems do not age, and thus do not die of natural causes like humans. However, they can still be killed if their gemstone is shattered.
• Bubbling: Gems have the ability to encase an object inside a bubble. The color of the bubble depends on the Gem. The bubbles can be sent to wherever the bubbler considers "home".
• Shapeshifting: Gems can temporarily alter their physical forms. The more mass the altered form has relative to the Gem's normal form, the harder it is to maintain. Sufficiently skilled Gems can shapeshift into forms with additional functions, such as Amethyst shapeshifting into a working helicopter in "Message Received". Gems produced with fewer resources during the Gem Homeworld's Era 2 appear to lack this ability.
• Regeneration: When a Gem suffers a fatal injury, they "poof," releasing their physical form and retreating into their gemstone in order to create a new, undamaged form. The amount of time this process takes depends on a number of factors, including whether or not they are changing the appearance of their form. As demonstrated by Amethyst in "Reformed", it is possible for a Gem to rush their regeneration process, but it may lead to a number of problems, such as deformed body parts.
• Gravity Shifting: As stated by Peridot in "It Could've Been Great", Gems' bodies will automatically adjust to different levels of gravity. This is further elaborated on in "Adventures in Light Distortion" where Pearl says that their forms are dependent on the local gravity and air pressure.
• Weapon-Summoning: Some Gems can summon a tangible weapon from their gemstones. Gems can summon multiple weapons at once, but each non-fusion Gem has only one type of weapon that they can summon.
• Fusion: Gems can combine bodies and minds to form a larger and more powerful Gem with all of their components' gemstones on their body. Fusion Gems can unfuse willingly or fall apart for a number of reasons, and they can fuse further without unfusing first. Fusions inherit all of their components' weapons, and may combine multiple weapons into new forms - for instance, Pearl's spear and Amethyst's whip together forming Opal's bow-and-arrow.
• Unique Abilities: Gems have a wide range of abilities that are exclusive to certain Gem types or individual Gems. These range from Rubies' pyrokinetic touch to Sapphires' future vision to Rose Quartz's healing abilities.

Gemstone Types

The Gem Homeworld maintains a strict caste system based on gemstone, with each Gem belonging to a larger "type".

• Diamonds – The Diamonds are the highest ranking Gems and the matriarchs of the entire species who form Homeworld's "Diamond authority". The Diamonds are believed to be flawless, with no weaknesses by Homeworld society. Diamonds are also much larger than the average Gem, dwarfing all other known Gem types, with only some fusions exceeding them in height. As indicated by Blue Diamond's quote, "Where else would a being as fragile as a human live, while a being as powerful as a Diamond, perish?" Diamonds are likely the most powerful of the Gems.
  • Blue Diamond – First appearing in "Steven's Dream", the overseer of many of Homeworld's diplomatic gems, she tried to help stop the rebellion back when it was a small problem.
  • Yellow Diamond – First appearing in "Message Received", the commander-in-chief of many of Homeworld's militaries.

    

    The Current Diamond Authority Symbol. Note the lack of a Pink Diamond.

    

    The previous Diamond Authority Symbol. Four colors make up it - blue, white, pink, and yellow.

  • Pink Diamond – First mentioned in "Earthlings", the initial leader of Earth's Gem colony before being shattered sometime during the Rebellion allegedly by Rose Quartz.
  • Unknown White Diamond – An unknown member of the Diamond Authority not yet shown.
• Sapphires – Rare Gems with foresight that hold aristocratic status and dress in regal attire. They are trusted advisors to the Diamonds, and it is not unusual for them to have their own Pearls as personal servants.
  • Sapphire – A Sapphire that was sent to Earth as a diplomat to attempt to disband the Rebellion, a current member of the Crystal Gems.
  • Padparadscha – An "off-color" Padparadscha Sapphire, deemed defective for her ability to only see events that have already occurred.
• Hessonites – Hessonites' roles are commanders, known to be in charge of lower-ranking Gems during their operations.
  • Hessonite - A Hessonite who is the main antagonist in Save the Light, the director of "Squaridot" and former owner of the Light Prism.
• Morganites – While the exact role of a Morganite is unknown, they are known to be in charge of lower-ranking Gems.
  • Unknown Morganite - A Morganite mentioned to have, at some point, replaced and exiled Rhodonite's components after discovering they liked to fuse.
• Emeralds – Emeralds' roles in the caste system are unknown, but they seem to be captains and high-ranking Gems with authority.
  • Emerald – A high-ranking Emerald whose ship (the Sun Incinerator) was stolen by Lars Barriga and the Off Colors.
• Aquamarines – Aquamarines' roles are unknown, but according to Pearl (as well as Aquamarine's own gloating), they are high-ranking Gems.
  • Aquamarine – An Aquamarine sent to Earth by the Diamonds in order to retrieve different "variations" of humans for Pink Diamond's Zoo.
• Lapis Lazulis – Lapis Lazulis were made to terraform, as stated by Yellow Diamond. Peridot states that Lapis Lazulis are typically partial to water and flying. It is unclear how high they rank in the caste system, though they seem at least roughly equal to (or higher/lower than) Peridots.
  • Lapis Lazuli – A Lapis Lazuli who was trapped in the Mirror for thousands of years, ultimately used by the Homeworld Gems for their invasion of Earth; eventually freed from the Mirror by Steven and now resides on Earth allied with the Crystal Gems.
• Topazes – Topazes' roles seem to be soldiers, obeying orders and acting as bodyguards for their assigned Gem. They are high-ranking Gems.
  • Topazes (left and right) – Two Topazes sent to Earth by the Diamonds as a fusion in order to retrieve different "variations" of humans for Pink Diamond's Zoo.
• Bismuths – Bismuths were made for the purpose of building structures for elite Gems on Gem colonies, such as spires for intellectual Gems and arenas for fighting Gems. They are considered a lower caste, working away to serve the higher ones.
  • Bismuth – One of the original Crystal Gems, who possessed a zealotry towards Rose's beliefs in personal freedom, giving her the choice to make what she wanted. Before the end of the war, Bismuth introduces Rose to a weapon known as the "Breaking Point", which would completely shatter a Gem's gemstone, destroying them completely. Rose, feeling it is cruel, fights Bismuth, poofs and bubbles her, and keeps her fate a secret from the rest of the Crystal Gems. It was not until about 5,300 years later that she is freed, Steven learns the truth, and she is poofed and bubbled again, but this time the Crystal Gems are told of what truly happened.
• Unknown Green Gem – Currently, it is unknown what type of Gem the Centipeetle Mother is. However, in "Monster Reunion", she is shown to be a captain in charge of other Gems (presumably of the same gemstone). These Gems fly in Gem spaceships, and started building structures on Gem colonies.
  • Centipeetle – A Gem sent from Homeworld to start building on Earth, an early Gem Colony. However, she got caught in the war and was ordered to retreat. She was unable to board her ship in time and suffered from the attack caused by the Diamonds, resulting in her corruption.
  • Centipeetle's Crew – A group including two Gems that appear in "Monster Reunion", who became corrupted by not evacuating Earth and not leaving their captain behind. As of now, they live together in the Ancient Gem Colony Ship.
• Nephrites – Not much is known about their abilities or role in Gem society, but they seem to serve high-ranking Gems and work as pilots and soldiers.
  • Unknown Nephrite – Pearl once took a Nephrite out of the cockpit of a drop ship during the Rebellion.
  • Hessonite's Nephrites - A group of Nephrites working on Hessonite's war ship. They are said to be performing a drill at the time of the Crystal Gems' arrival to the ship.
  • Nephrite-XJ Cut-763 – A Nephrite who works for Yellow Diamond. In the flashback she shows hesitation for doing her job as the planet they are terraforming have organic life, Yellow Diamond ignores her complains and demands her to do her job, or else she will shatter her and her crew herself.
• Peridots – Peridots make up an engineer and technician caste, who often operate starships and Kindergarten facilities. Peridots are low-ranking enough that they rarely if ever have their own Pearl servant. The current model of Peridots (referenced as "Era 2") are smaller and are given technological enhancements than their "Era 1" model, as they supposedly do not have powers (Peridot's metal powers may make this untrue). It is unknown how "Era 1" Peridots are superior to "Era 2," if at all.
  • Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG – A former Yellow Diamond follower and current member of the Crystal Gems.
  • "Squaridot" – A boss who appears in Save the Light, nicknamed "Squaridot" for her square hair. She is currently bubbled.
• Quartzes – Huge, loyal, and intimidating soldiers. They vary in coloration and appearance, but most are broad shouldered, around 6-7 feet tall and have back-length hair. They appear to be high in Homeworld's hierarchy, as Rose Quartz was able to lead a rebellion and Peridot considered Amethyst to be the highest ranking Gem among the Crystal Gems despite her "defectiveness." Unlike the other Gems, quartzes come in varying shapes, names, and categories (Agates, Amethysts, Carnelians, Citrines, Jaspers, Rose Quartzes, and possibly others.). Due to this, the term "Quartz" is a broader term to refer to these kinds of Gems.
  • Agates – A kind of Quartz Gems who are dedicated to "terrify", as described by Yellow Diamond. They also seem to be placed in managerial positions and occupy a social step above the other Quartz Gems and keep them in line. In "The Trial", it is revealed that Agates can also serve as bodyguards for the higher ranking Gems, such as a Diamond.
    • Holly Blue Agate – An Agate who manages Pink Diamond's Zoo.
  • Amethysts – A kind of Quartz Gems mainly created in the Earth's Prime Kindergarten.
    • Amethyst Facet-5 Cut-8XM – A defective and short Quartz and current member of the Crystal Gems.
    • Unknown Crystal Gem Amethysts – An unknown group of Amethysts that were formerly members of the Crystal Gems while Bismuth was active. They are currently presumed to be inactive.
    • Amethyst Guards – A group of Amethysts guarding Pink Diamond's Zoo. Many are from the Prime Kindergarten and are members of the "Famethyst".
      • Amethysts Facet-5 Cut-8XG, 8XJ, 8XK, and 8XL – Four Amethysts from the same section of the Prime Kindergarten as the Crystal Gems' Amethysts, and members of the "Famethyst".
      • Amethyst Facet-5 Cut-8XH – An unknown Amethyst from the same section of the Prime Kindergarten as the Crystal Gems' Amethysts, and presumably a member of the "Famethyst".
  • Carnelians – A kind of Quartz Gems which were created mainly in the Earth's Beta Kindergarten.
    • Unknown Carnelian - An unknown defective Carnelian mentioned by Peridot in "Earthlings".
    • Carnelian – A defective and short Carnelian guarding Pink Diamond's Zoo, and a member of the "Famethyst".
  • Jaspers – A kind of Quartz Gems mainly created in the Earth's Beta Kindergarten.
    • Jasper – An especially powerful Quartz Gem, as noted by Peridot in "Earthlings".
    • Jasper Guards – A group of Jaspers in charge of guarding Pink Diamond's Zoo, and members of the "Famethyst".
      • "Skinny" – A defective and tall Jasper guarding Pink Diamond's Zoo, and a member of the "Famethyst".
    • Snow Monster – A Corrupted Quartz Gem that was captured in the Great North by Jasper, she was forced to fuse with her but she escaped from her.
    • Orange Great North Monster – A Corrupted Quartz Gem that was captured in the Great North by Jasper, who was used to attack the Crystal Gems, but ended up being poofed and bubbled.
  • Rose Quartzes – A kind of Quartz Gems created by Pink Diamond. All members of this Gem-type are seen as outcasts due to Pink Diamond being shattered by one of them, which led to all of the rest being imprisoned in bubbles.
    • Rose Quartz – A known Rose Quartz Gem and former leader of the Crystal Gems.
    • Steven Universe – A hybrid half-human half-Rose-Quartz Gem and current member of the Crystal Gems.
    • Unknown Bubbled Rose Quartzes – A large collection of hundreds of Rose Quartzes, inactive and bubbled by the Diamonds after a Rose Quartz shattered Pink Diamond.
  • Citrines – Citrines' are Quartz Gems who seem to be an elite caste of guards. They seem to serve high-ranking Gems.
    • Sixty-seven elite Citrines – A group of sixty-seven elite Citrines who are mentioned to have guarded Emerald's ship, the Sun Incinerator, on the planet Clavia-7.
    • Hessonite's Citrine Guards - A group of Citrines who act as guards on Hessonite's war ship. They are only heard by the Crystal Gems before their final confrontation with Hessonite.
  • Others
    • Unknown Quartz Warrior – A Quartz warrior shown to have fought Rose Quartz during in Pearl's flashback in "Sworn to the Sword".
    • Beta Kindergarten Quartz Monsters – Various Corrupted Quartz Gems captured and incarcerated for Jasper's Corrupted Gem army, later freed during "Earthlings".
• Zircons – Zircons' roles seem to be lawyers, prosecuting or defending the accused during a trial.
  • Zircon (Defense) – A Zircon who defends Steven during his trial.
  • Zircon (Prosecuting) – A Zircon who acts as the prosecutor during Steven's trial.
• Watermelon Tourmalines – Watermelon Tourmalines' roles on Homeworld (as well as their rank and physical characteristics are currently unknown), as the only Gem of this type shown has been corrupted.
  • Watermelon Tourmaline – A Corrupted Gem with the ability to create strong gales with her breath. She is currently bubbled.
• Rutiles - Rutiles' role on Homeworld, and their rank in the caste system, is currently unknown.
  • Rutile Twins - Two defective Rutile Gems whose gemstones fused together when they were first forming, making them permanently conjoined as one Gem.
• Rubies – In "The Answer", Garnet describes the Rubies as "common soldiers". They usually come in groups, and most commonly fuse with one another in combat, possibly to compensate for their height, and rarely summon weapons for combat with few exceptions. In "Hit the Diamond", Homeworld Rubies are shown to have poor reasoning skills and memory.
  • Ruby – A Ruby that remains fused with Sapphire as Garnet, a current member of the Crystal Gems.
  • Ruby (right shoulder gem) – A known Ruby that used to protect Sapphire, as shown in "The Answer".
  • Ruby (right back-hand gem) – A known Ruby that used to protect Sapphire, as shown in "The Answer".
  • Ruby-1F4 Cut-4ND ("Eyeball") – A known Ruby sent to retrieve Jasper, a veteran of the Gem war on Earth; a witness who testified against Steven in his trial.
  • "Army" – A known Ruby sent to retrieve Jasper.
  • "Navy" – A known Ruby sent to retrieve Jasper, would later steal the Roaming Eye after deceiving the Crystal Gems.
  • "Leggy" – A known Ruby sent to retrieve Jasper.
  • "Doc" – A known Ruby sent to retrieve Jasper, as well as the leader of the "Ruby Squad".
  • Rhodonite's unknown component Ruby - A Ruby who used to work for a Morganite before being replaced.
• Pearls – In "Back to the Barn", Peridot stated that Pearls are accessories and made-to-order servants who are just there for standing around, looking nice, taking orders, and holding other Gems' stuff. Peridot also indicates that it is a status symbol to have your own Pearl, and typically only the higher castes can own one. It is also implied by Ruby that Pearls are awarded to Gems who have done honorable deeds in "Bubbled". Pearls come in various colors, including blue and yellow, and it is implied that there are varying qualities and that Pearl of the Crystal Gems is an especially fancy one. Pearls all seem to have the same basic physical appearance (though they can dress and wear their hair differently). Pearls are some of the only Gems known to come in different colors; according to Rebecca Sugar, this makes Opal, Sardonyx, and Alexandrite also come in different colors, depending on the Pearl who fused.
  • Pearl – A renegade Pearl loyal to Rose Quartz and her cause, and a current member of the Crystal Gems.
  • Blue Pearl – A Pearl that serves Blue Diamond.
  • Yellow Pearl – A Pearl that serves Yellow Diamond, acting as her receptionist and screening her calls for her.
  • Pink Diamond's Pearl - A Pearl once belonging to Pink Diamond, yet to be seen, she was a key witness to her Diamond's shattering, but her current status is unknown.
  • Rhodonite's unknown component Pearl - A Pearl who used to belong to and serve a Morganite before being replaced.

Reproduction

File:Bacphage.png

Kindergarten.

Rebecca Sugar has confirmed that Gems do not naturally reproduce and lack reproductive organs by default.

In the short "How Are Gems Made?", it is explained that Gems "aren't born, they are made when some Gems from outer space came here with these big machines! They put the machines on Earth and shot this junk into the ground, and then boom, you pop right out!" In addition, it is revealed that Gems are formed fully developed: "being a weak baby would be a pain, so, they suck up all the good stuff from the ground so we pop out all big and strong". However, this process is not entirely flawless; as put by Peridot in "Too Far", if a Gem is incubated for too long (referred as being "overcooked" by Jasper in "The Return"), it will result in the Gem's humanoid form being inherently abnormal, as in the case of Amethyst, who is much shorter than the typical Quartz. Also, as revealed in "Too Short to Ride", if not enough resources are present during the incubation process, the resulting Gems will be underdeveloped, as in the case of Era 2 Peridots, who are shorter and lack most standard Gem abilities.

In addition to being fully developed physically, they are also fully developed mentally. When they come out of the ground, they already know all that they need to know to do their job. Rose Quartz explains in "Greg the Babysitter" that when a Gem is made, it is for a reason. They burst out of the ground with the knowledge of what they are supposed to be, and that is what they generally believe they will be for life.

In "On the Run", it is revealed that the Homeworld Gems invaded Earth several thousand years ago and used the Kindergarten to create new Gems using the method described in "How Are Gems Made?"; and that Amethyst is one such Gem. This process is very harmful to the environment to the point where, if it were allowed to continue, it would lead to "the destruction of all life on Earth," according to Pearl in "Marble Madness". Amethyst refers to all the Gems created through the process, herself included, as "parasites".

While biological reproduction is an alien concept to Gems, it is not impossible for them; while Gems can not reproduce with each other, they can create Gem-hybrid offspring. Through shapeshifting, they can perfectly replicate reproductive organs of organic beings for their "human constructs" in order to reproduce. Rose Quartz is the only known Gem to have done this, and her son, Steven, inherited her gemstone, without which she could not project a physical form and subsequently "died", although in "Guide to the Crystal Gems", it is implied that Gems are capable of reproducing without having to give up their physical forms.

Steven asks Peridot what is it like to be created on Homeworld in "Gem Drill". She says she does not remember anything and only had feelings. She describes it as not existing then suddenly existing.

Trivia

• The majority of Gem weapons are medieval: Steven and Rose Quartz's shield, Pearl's spear, Amethyst's whip, Ruby's gauntlet, Jasper's crash-helmet, Eyeball's chisel knife, and the Topazes' maces.
  • This includes fusion weapons: Garnet's gauntlets, Opal's longbow, Sugilite's flail, Sardonyx's war hammer, and Topaz's mace.
• 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 that her process is being perfect and calculated, using the science of a flower petal dancing in the wind to describe how hard work and dedication can help master the properties of one's own gemstone 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 is still unknown, though it is thought to be caused when he experiences pure joy, having first activated his gem after taking a bite of his favorite ice-cream sandwich, his ability to summon his weapon can also be attributed to the feelings of love and the desire to protect.
    • "Say Uncle" reveals that Steven's powers are maternal and that he summons his shield to protect the things he cares about. Though the episode is considered non-canon, the description of how Steven summons his shield seems to be accurate.
• Ian Jones-Quartey has stated that Steven is the first Gem to use he/him pronouns.
  • Rebecca Sugar and Ian Jones-Quartey have stated that Gems use she/her pronouns by default.
  • This is demonstrated by the Crystal Gems referring to Lapis Lazuli, Peridot, Jasper, and Bismuth all as "she" before knowing them.
  • Although, when regenerating, Gems would be able to take on a "masculine" form and use he/him pronouns if they wish.

What appears to be gemstones powering a mechanism in an ancient Gem ship.

• Gemstones can be used as a power source, even if damaged.
  • A gemstone is seen powering the Pyramid Temple in "Serious Steven".
  • Lapis Lazuli was used to power a magic mirror.
  • Numerous gemstones can be seen powering machines in the Ancient Gem Colony Ship.
    • It is unknown whether or not these gemstones were sentient.
• In "Chille Tid", Gems are shown to experience exhaustion and, if they choose to sleep, can dream.
• In "Coach Steven", Gems are revealed to be able to produce bodily fluids and receive scrapes upon the "skin".
• Pearl referred to Gems' bodies as "human construct(s)" in "Fusion Cuisine".
• Ian Jones-Quartey has stated that Gems do possess DNA, and that Rose Quartz is able to pass her traits on to Steven.
  • While this would somewhat contradict Pearl's implication that Gems are inorganic in "Alone Together", it is explained in the Guide to the Crystal Gems that the Gem equivalent to genetic information is stored in the gemstone, and Rose is able to integrate this information with Greg's DNA by giving up her physical form and passing her gem along to Steven.
• Gems' skin tones are related to the color of their gemstones (but do not always match precisely).
• In the comic series, Pearl has been shown to absorb objects into her gemstone and has gotten sick when she absorbed too many objects into her gem. It is unclear whether other Gems can do this.
  • This ability may be inherent to Pearls specifically, as it would account for Peridot's comments about Pearls being made to hold things.
  • Although, in "Serious Steven", Garnet appears to be storing the temple key in her gemstones, since she has to summon it and was not carrying it with her prior to arriving at the Gem Battlefield.
  • It should also be noted that the comics are of debatable canon when it comes to their relation to the TV show.
• In "Nightmare Hospital", it is confirmed that Gems do not have a heart or heartbeat.
• It is implied in "Catch and Release" that Gems produce bodily waste after consuming food (presumably by shapeshifting a digestive system).
• As revealed in "Message Received", Gems are differentiated from other Gems of their category by identification codes based on "Facet" and "Cut". For example, Peridot's specification is Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG.
• Pearl mentioned in "Last One Out of Beach City" that she could not get a driver's license due to being an alien.
  • This is likely because Pearl is not a legal citizen and thus ineligible for government licensing.
• According to Rebecca Sugar, blue Gems like Sapphire are created with diplomatic skills. And later in the Ultimate Crossover Fundraiser that blue Gems can be introspective and a little judgmental.
  • She also states that orange are more lean on the active side as they take action.
• Gems typically have their gemstones exposed in plain view, despite their gemstone being their most vulnerable spot.
  • In "Three Gems and a Baby", Steven would become fussy and try to undo his clothes to expose his gemstone, suggesting there may be a reason why Gems leave their gemstones exposed.
• In "Adventures in Light Distortion", it is revealed that if a Gem ship is traveling faster than the speed of light, a Gem's 'hard-light' body will fall behind and lose form.
• Usually, Gems of the same type have identical looking gemstones with the same shape and facets. For example, Rose Quartzes have round pink gemstones with pentagonal facets. However, there are some Gems that deviate from this.
  • There have been Jaspers shown with round gemstones and kite-shaped gemstones.
  • Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond's gemstones are both diamond-shaped but with slightly different dimensions.
  • The Crystal Gems' Pearl has an oval-shaped gemstone, while other Pearls shown have had perfectly round gemstone.
  • While most Amethysts shown have a circular purple gemstone with a hexagonal facet, some Amethysts' gemstones are slightly different shades of purple.
    • In "Gem Heist", one burgundy-colored Amethyst is shown to have a square-faceted gemstone (rather than hexagonal). However, whether or not this was an animation error is unclear.
  • The Rutile Twins' joint gemstone has two long segments conjoined together, implying that normal Rutiles' gemstones consist of just one elongated segment.
• Gems bear some similarities to the Asari from the Mass Effect franchise: both are extremely long lived, monosexual species that happen to resemble discolored human women. Both also display a psychic union metaphorical for relationships, and can interbreed with other species, though only Rose Quartz has done such so far with fatal results.
• Gem art and architecture seems to be heavily influenced by Middle-Eastern and Art Deco designs.