Five Precious Gems

Tjerrnet: An opaque-to-translucent stone resembling lapis lazuli at first blush, tjerrnet varies from a deep ultramarine to brilliant azure. Unlike lapis lazuli, however, tjerrnet glitters like the stars -- and when exposed to sunlight, flashes with silvery points of light.

Cuilka: Also known as executioner's jade, cuilka is a massive stone of a particularly piercing green shot through with lacy veins of scarlet. It is highly valued by magic-users, who make use of the droplets of "jade blood" it releases in mageries.

Seilan: The pearl of a rare freshwater mussel, the seilan is small, a perfect blue, and displays a phantom flame-like sheen in its nacre. It is perfectly smooth and appears to be always wet. Seilan are valued as pairs, if one can find matching pearls, though the Wandering Kingdoms consider seilan to be cursed.

Peacock Stone: Only found as layers in geodes of amethyst, peacock stones are "fibres" of shimmering golden-green or metallic blue that may be -- stone that they are -- braided or twisted into longer and heavier shapes and used in jeweled lace. The most talented of artisans are said to be capable of spinning peacock stone into actual cloth.

Desheri: Brilliant blood-red to ruby-black, smooth and translucent, desheri are naturally found in the shapes of teardrops or bestial claws, from the size of a pinhead to that of a man's thumb. Desheri are warm to the touch -- sometimes almost a burning heat -- and are considered precious talisman by the South. One of the most famous desheri is Kaira's Burning Claw.