{{Archived|June March 2014|[[Gems]]}} This article has two archived sections.  '''Gem Archive Pre-Game''' The original Gem Archive was created in May 2012|when the game launched. The early information covered all knowledge about gems during development and up to Diablo 3's launch, and became obsolete due to many changes to gems at the game's launch. Those early infos included additional gem types (sapphires and diamonds), different gem properties, different gem ranks/names, and different graphics. See that full archive below.  '''Gem Archive [[Diablo 3 version 2]] and [[Reaper of Souls]]''' The more recent Gem Archive was stored in March 2014 when [[D3v2]] brought [[Loot 2.0]] and all new gem upgrade recipes, a change to when/how gems drop, the end of easy gem acquisition due to the shutdown of the [[Auction House]], and the addition of the [[Diamond]] gem type. Reaper of Souls built on that with four higher ranks of gems, and thus much of the [[Diablo 3 vanilla]] gem information became obsolete. It is archived on this page as well.  =Diablo 3 Vanilla Gem Archive=  Gems are small objects that grant bonuses when socketed into items. There are four types of gems in Diablo III; [[Amethysts]], [[Emeralds]], [[Rubies]] and [[Topazes]], which are found in 15 levels of quality. (The 15th, Marquise, was added in [[Patch 1.0.7]].) Only the first eight levels can be found from monsters or chests, with Flawless Squares the highest quality (and the only type that drops in Inferno). Higher levels of gems can only be crafted (for a price) by the [[Jeweler]], and the costs grow and accumulate impressively. Creating a level 14 gem is quite a chore. The total costs, assuming a starting point in Inferno where Flawless Squares drop, is 729 Flawless Squares, 15,400,000 gold and 1631 [[Tomes of Secret]], for each Radiant Star gem. Making a Marquise Gem triples that, plus another 20m for the upgrade cost.  Gems can only be used in sockets, and there is no way in Diablo 3 to add a socket to an item unless it spawns there in the original roll. (The [[Jeweler]] could add sockets pre-game, but that ability was removed before launch.)   ==Diablo III Gems== Gems in Diablo 3 have evolved during the game's development. Though the concept of 14 levels of quality has remained constant, the types of gems, their names and graphics, and the materials and costs to upgrade them have evolved repeatedly. * See the [[Gems archive]] info for full details on their development.  ===Weapons=== A socket in a weapon is considered almost essential, at the [[end game]]. Rubies were always popular at low or mid levels, and they became much more useful in [[Patch 1.0.7]] when their values in weapons were considerably upgraded. That said, Emeralds are the weapon socket of choice for most high levels character, especially those with a healthy [[Critical hit Chance]] value. [[Amethyst]]s are a not unheard of for [[Hardcore]] players or for [[Follower]] weapons, to grant [[life on hit]].  ===Helms=== Sockets in helms are nearly as popular as sockets in weapons.* [[Rubies]] are the most popular for the +%experience per kill. This bonus was irrelevant in the [[end game]] until the debut of the [[Paragon]] system, at which point it became much sought after.* [[Amethyst]]s are popular, especially for Hardcore characters, since the +%life bonus is a huge source of hit points, leveraging already high vitality bonuses.* [[Topaz]] are also sought for the Magic Find bonus, while [[gold farmers]] may enjoy Emeralds for that bonus.** The Topaz vs. Ruby debate is an interesting one, since high level players mostly seek paragon levels for the 3% bonus to Magic Find and Gold Find per level. Yet an affordable Star topaz grants 25% Magic Find, which is equivalent to the MF gain of more than 8 Paragon levels.* [[Diamond]]s will come with [[Reaper of Souls]] and will reduce cooldown.  ===Other=== All other items are given the "other" designation. Sockets are found in rare and magical [[pants]], [[chest armor]], off-hand items (such as [[quiver]]s, [[mojo]]s, [[orb]]s, [[shield]]s, etc) amulets, and rings, but not in shoulders, bracers, belts, or boots. (A few legendary and set items add sockets to other pieces of armor, such as the socket in [[Ice Climbers]] boots or [[Tasker and Theo]] gloves.)  Softcore players almost always go for +damage via a boost to their [[mainstat]].* [[Emeralds]] for [[dexterity]] for [[Demon Hunter]]s and [[Monk]]s.* [[Rubies]] for [[strength]] for [[Barbarian]]s.* [[Topaz]] for [[intelligence]] for [[Wizard]]s and [[Witch Doctor]]s. Hardcore characters often use Amethysts to boost their vitality, though many go for +main stat as well.  ==Upgrading Gems== Gemscan be upgraded by the [[Jeweler]], for a price. First of all, the Jeweler needs to be trained to his maximum level in order to craft the highest level gems. Even then, he can only upgrade gems to the 11th quality level, and just be taught the 4 highest tiers in each gem type by [[Designs]] that drop from monsters or objects. Jeweler Designs and Blacksmith [[Plans]] dropped very rarely until [[Patch 1.0.7]] buffed their drop rates 4x. All plans and designs can also be purchased from the [[Auction House]], where their prices have steadily dropped over time. (When new recipes are introduced in patches, such as the level 63 items and Marquise gems in Patch v1.0.7, their values were very high for a day or two, before falling rapidly.) All gem upgrades cost gold, and most require some materials as well. Lower level recipes are quite cheap in terms of gold and materials, and only require 2 gems to upgrade to the next level. Higher level gems require a lot of gold and materials, and it takes 3 gems to make 1 of the next rank. At the 2 > 1 upgrade ratio introduced in v1.03 (prior to that all upgrades were 3 > 1, plus much higher gold prices), it would require 256 chipped gems and 570 gold to create 1 Flawless Square (which is the highest gem that drops), though no one actually collects that many chipped gems since higher quality gems can easily be found.  When considering upgrade prices, bear in mind the cumulative costs, which are listed in the last column of the table below. For example, the price to make the 14th level gem, a Radiant Star, is 400k gold + 20 [[Tomes of Secret]] + 3 Flawless Stars. That doesn't sound so bad, until you realize that each of those Flawless Stars had to be made from requires 3 Perfect Stars, and 9 Flawless Stars, and 27 Stars, and so on, down to the [[Flawless Squares]] that form the base of the gem economy.  Furthermore, the Auction House price for gems and Tomes of Secret may be quite high, depending on supply and demand, and can run much more in total than the Jeweler's fees. It requires a total of 729 Flawless Squares, 1631 Tomes of Secret, and 15,400,000 gold to make a single Radiant Star, not counting the gold required to upgrade the Jeweler in the first place, or to obtain the three highest level plans for each gem. Even assuming you had all the Flawless Squares, Tomes of Secret, and over 15 million gold in your stash, creating a Radiant Star would still take you 243 clicks on the Jeweler's upgrade bar. At 3 seconds per click, that's 729 seconds, or close to 12 minutes doing nothing but clicking the "Upgrade" bar in the Jeweler's interface. (An automated queue system was added to allow multi-crafting with a single in patch 1.0.7.) These are the costs for gem upgrading in [[Diablo 3 vanilla]]. Much different costs (cheaper) were introduced in [[Diablo 3 version 2]]. {{Template:Gem upgrade costs}}  ==Full List of Gem Properties== All gems and their bonuses, with game data pulled directly via the [http://www.diablonut.com|DiabloNut Database] database. (No gem bonuses were changes in [[D3v2]], just their upgrade costs.) <item type="list" mode="misc">Gem</item>  ===Marquise Gems=== [[Marquise Gems]] were added in [[Patch 1.0.7]] as the new, highest level gem. They are meant to serve as something of a gold sink, with a considerably higher creation cost than earlier levels of gems, despite adding only marginally to the function. Marquise require 3 Radiant Stars + 20m gold + 10 Demonic Essences to create. They cost 5m per gem to remove from a socket. (Prices greatly reduced in [[D3v2]].  [[Marquise Emerald]]* Weapon: Increased Critical Hit Damage by 110%* Helm: +33% Extra Gold from Monsters* Armor: +62 Dexterity [[Marquise Topaz]]* Weapon: Melee attackers take 2500 per hit* Helm: 33% Better chance of finding magical items* Armor: +62 Intelligence [[Marquise Amethyst]]* Weapon: Each Hit adds +700 Life* Helm: +19% Life* Armor: +62 Vitality [[Marquise Ruby]]* Weapon: +160 Minimum and +160 Maximum Damage* Helm: Increases Bonus Experience by 33%* Armor: +62 Strength  ==Rubies Buffed== [[Patch 1.0.7]] introduced Marquise Gems and also reworked Rubies, greatly increasing their damage when socketed in weapons. This was intended to make them a viable alternative to Emeralds, and did for some characters. (Rubies are better for characters with low [[Critical hit Chance]], and some characters with very fast attacks. From the official patch notes:[http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/8608455/patch-107-now-live-2-12-2013] All ruby gems have had their weapon bonuses increased (these changes will apply to both existing rubies, as well as new rubies):* Chipped Ruby: +3 minimum damage/+3 maximum damage (up from +2/+2)* Flawed Ruby: +6 minimum damage/+6 maximum damage (up from +4/+4)* Ruby: +9 minimum damage/+9 maximum damage (up from +8/+8)* Flawless Ruby: +12 minimum damage/+12 maximum damage (up from +10/+10)* Perfect Ruby: +15 minimum damage/+15 maximum damage (up from +11/+11)* Radiant Ruby: +18 minimum damage/+18 maximum damage (up from +12/+12)* Square Ruby: +21 minimum damage/+21 maximum damage (up from +13/+13)* Flawless Square Ruby: +25 minimum damage/+25 maximum damage (up from +14/+14)* Perfect Square Ruby: +30 minimum damage/+30 maximum damage (up from +15/+15)* Radiant Square Ruby: +40 minimum damage/+40 maximum damage (up from +16/+16)* Star Ruby: +60 minimum damage/+60 maximum damage (up from +17/+17)* Flawless Star Ruby: +80 minimum damage/+80 maximum damage (up from +18/+18)* Perfect Star Ruby: +100 minimum damage/+100 maximum damage (up from +19/+19)* Radiant Star Ruby: +130 minimum damage/+130 maximum damage (up from +20/+20)* Marquise Ruby: +160 minimum damage/+160 maximum damage. These rubies have also had their bonus damage calculations changed, and will now add damage flatly to both the minimum and maximum values on weapons:* For example, if you have a weapon that does 150-200 damage and you socket a Perfect Square Ruby (which adds +30 minimum damage/+30 maximum damage), your weapon will do 180-230 damage.  ==Future Gem Changes== Further [[gem]] changes and modifications are expected in future patches and expansions.  For instance, the developers have discussed entirely reworking the reflects damage / [[thorns]] system, which would involve greatly buffing or reworking the bonuses granted by Topaz gems in weapons.              =Pre-Game Gem Archive=