======Gemstones======
=====Object Information=====
  * **Type:** Magical Material, [[Currency]], [[Potion Ingredient]], Decorative Element
  * **Owners:** Not applicable to gemstones as a general category. Ownership is specific to individual items incorporating gemstones.
  * **Maker:** Occur naturally in the earth. Can also be magically created, such as the [[Sorcerer's Stone]] through [[Alchemy]], or conjured.
=====Description and Appearance=====
Gemstones are naturally occurring crystalline minerals that are highly valued in the [[Wizarding world]] for their beauty, rarity, and magical affinities. They appear in a wide variety of colours and types, and are often cut and polished to be used in jewellery, as decoration on magical artefacts, or as potent magical components themselves.
Notable types of gemstones mentioned in the series include:
  * **Rubies:** A deep red stone, famously used to fill the [[Gryffindor]] [[House Point Hourglass]] and to encrust the hilt of the [[Sword of Gryffindor]].
  * **Emeralds:** A brilliant green stone, used to fill the [[Slytherin]] [[House Point Hourglass]] and associated with the house's founder, [[Salazar Slytherin]].
  * **Sapphires:** A vibrant blue stone, used to fill the [[Ravenclaw]] [[House Point Hourglass]] and set in [[Ravenclaw's Diadem]].
  * **Diamonds:** A clear, brilliant stone, used to fill the [[Hufflepuff]] [[House Point Hourglass]]. Uncut diamonds are also mentioned on the [[Goblet of Fire]].
  * **[[Moonstone]]s:** A pale, silvery stone used as a [[Potion ingredient]].
  * **Opals:** A multicoloured stone. A particularly dangerous cursed opal necklace was sold at [[Borgin and Burkes]].
  * **Garnets:** A reddish stone mentioned as a possible [[Potion ingredient]] or additive to [[ink]].
  * **The [[Resurrection Stone]]:** A unique black stone with a crack down the middle, later revealed to be one of the [[Deathly Hallows]].
=====Magical Properties and Usage=====
Gemstones are used in a variety of magical applications, serving as everything from indicators and ingredients to powerful enchanted objects.
  * **Tallying and Display:** The most prominent use is in the four great [[House Point Hourglasses]] located in the entrance hall of [[Hogwarts]]. Each hourglass is filled with a different gemstone representing one of the four houses, and the stones rise or fall to represent the earning and losing of [[House Points]].
  * **Enchantment and Artefacts:** Gemstones are frequently embedded in powerful magical items, where they may act as focal points or reservoirs for potent enchantments. The goblin-made [[Sword of Gryffindor]] is set with large rubies. Two of [[Lord Voldemort]]'s [[Horcrux]]es were pieces of jewellery set with significant stones: [[Marvolo Gaunt's Ring]], which contained the [[Resurrection Stone]], and [[Ravenclaw's Diadem]], which was set with sapphires.
  * **[[Currency]]:** [[Goblins]] consider gemstones, particularly large rubies, to be a form of [[currency]] and a component of wealth. Their different view on ownership—that an item's true owner is its maker—led [[Griphook]] to demand the [[Sword of Gryffindor]] as payment for his help.
  * **[[Potion Ingredients]]:** Certain gemstones are valuable components in [[Potions]]. [[Moonstone]] is a required ingredient for several potions, including the [[Draught of Peace]]. Powdered garnet is also mentioned as a magical ink additive in a [[Potions]] textbook.
  * **Cursed Objects:** Gemstones can be imbued with powerful [[Dark Magic]]. A cursed opal necklace at [[Borgin and Burkes]] had claimed the lives of nineteen [[Muggle]] owners and severely cursed [[Katie Bell]] when she touched it through a small hole in its packaging.
=====History=====
The use of gemstones is ancient in the [[Wizarding world]]. Since the founding of [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]], the [[House Point Hourglasses]] have used gems to track the inter-house competition. The history of [[Goblins]], such as [[Ragnuk the First]], is deeply intertwined with the craftsmanship of gem-encrusted items like the [[Sword of Gryffindor]].
One of the most ancient and legendary gemstones is the [[Resurrection Stone]], which according to //[[The Tales of Beedle the Bard]]//, was given to [[Cadmus Peverell]] by [[Death]] himself. It was passed down through the [[Gaunt family]] and set into a ring.
In a more recent, but still significant, historical context, the alchemist [[Nicolas Flamel]] was the only known maker of the [[Sorcerer's Stone]], a legendary blood-red stone with the power to grant immortality.
=====Role in the Story=====
Gemstones are central to several major plotlines throughout the series.
  * In //Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone//, the titular [[Sorcerer's Stone]] is the object [[Harry Potter]] must protect from [[Professor Quirrell]] and [[Lord Voldemort]].
  * The [[House Point Hourglasses]] serve as a constant visual motif of the rivalry between the houses, with the climax of the first book seeing [[Dumbledore]] award last-minute points to [[Gryffindor]], causing a shower of rubies to fill their hourglass.
  * In //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//, the stone in [[Marvolo Gaunt's Ring]] is revealed to be both a [[Horcrux]] and the [[Resurrection Stone]], a key discovery in understanding how to defeat [[Voldemort]]. In the same book, the cursed opal necklace becomes an active threat, demonstrating the danger of objects from [[Borgin and Burkes]].
  * In //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, gemstones are at the heart of the quest. The search for the [[Resurrection Stone]] and [[Ravenclaw's Diadem]] is critical. Furthermore, [[Griphook]]'s desire for the rubies in the [[Sword of Gryffindor]] leads to the tense alliance during the [[Gringotts]] break-in and his ultimate betrayal of [[Harry]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]].
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * The gemstones used in the [[House Point Hourglasses]] correspond to traditional birthstones associated with months that have thematic links to the houses or their members (Pottermore).
    * **Ruby** ([[Gryffindor]]) is the birthstone for July, the month of [[Harry Potter]]'s birth.
    * **Emerald** ([[Slytherin]]) is the birthstone for May. The [[Battle of Hogwarts]], a key event in [[Voldemort]]'s downfall, took place in May.
    * **Sapphire** ([[Ravenclaw]]) is the birthstone for September, the month when students begin a new year at [[Hogwarts]].
    * **Diamond** ([[Hufflepuff]]) is the birthstone for April.