Gem Caste System (From Highest to Lowest):
- Lil Uhh
- Apr 5
- 26 min read
In the fictional show Steven Universe, before Era 3, all of Gem Kind was forced under a strict order created by White Diamond herself. Each gem created fell under a specific category, privilege, and role, along with predetermined places and purposes to which they belonged. Any gem that deviates from the order created for them is considered defective and a disgrace to the empire. Due to the severity of Homeworld’s punishments, any gem with reservations about Homeworld’s order either kept to themselves or went into hiding. Because there are so many types of gems, all gems have a serial number to distinguish them, with cut gems having facets in their names and uncut/polished gems having a cabochon in their names. Every gem is divided among a specific court and refers to their superior (such as a diamond) as “My (insert gem name)” to show they belong or answer to this specific gem. It is unknown how long ago the system was established, but it is shown to have existed for eons. Depending on their place in Homeworld society, gems often either become self-absorbed or depressed due to their underlying reservations and emotions about the caste system preventing them from being able to be themselves. However, due to Homeworld’s strict order and harsh punishments, many gems wouldn’t dare rebel out of fear of being shattered or worse, with those who even attempted to rebel being promptly and swiftly silenced for good. However, once Rose Quartz (Pink Diamond in disguise) and a terrifying renegade Pearl suddenly rebelled and started an uprising on earth, with many of the gems who were cast out, desired freedom, or were defective, sought to fight for the right to exist as themselves.
After the war, only very few rebels existed, as many of them were corrupted by the remaining 3 diamonds following Pink Diamond’s “shattering”. Eventually, Steven was born, and Pink had passed her gemstone to Steven, who would eventually discover his true heritage and would later (with much progress) convince the Diamonds to finally tear down their cast system, dismantle their colonies, and allow gems to be themselves without discrimination. Despite a majority of gems accepting era 3 and a new way of living, there are very few gems (especially some higher class gems) who are resentful of the Diamonds tearing down the system, some even desiring to usurp power to fill the vacuum the diamonds left behind and forbidding the gems they commanded to listen to the diamonds message to stop colonization of worlds.
Diamonds:
The Diamonds are the overarching matriarchs of the Gem Homeworld being the leaders of gem society as a whole. They are physically taller than any other singular gem, easily towering over all lower-ranking gems, and they all have diamond-shaped gems. As the leaders of the Gem Society, they are also the most powerful beings in existence, with all 4 possessing unique powers and abilities that most gems cannot perform, such as aura projection. Most gems under them are devoted to serving them and look to them as ethereal or godly beings. They are all categorized under a specific Diamond and often exhibit devotion to their rule being very willing to be seen among their radiance although some gems such as Aquamarine, Demantoid, & Pyrope’s loyalties seem to differ in places due to their own selfish needs and desires and because of this they had no qualms going against direct orders or even attempting to usurp power once the Diamonds abolished the caste system for good. The diamonds are all under a unique caste system themselves and govern different aspects of Homeworld society and gem cultures.
White Diamond is the eldest and therefore the overarching leader of gemkind with her system and strict order being the direct cause for many gem related actions in the show, she is responsible for creating the Homeworld Gem Caste System in the first place ensuring every gem plays a specific and unique role to maintaining their perfect society and meeting up to their high standards with gems who refuse to adhere to her standards must be cast out or shattered. Her order had gone unchallenged for eons, as she expects every gem (including her fellow diamonds) to act a certain way and would not hesitate to punish others for failing to meet those standards. Her aura is bright white, and with a zap from her eyes, she is able to overwrite and completely overtake a gem, allowing them to become a slave copy of herself as well as possess her own abilities.
Yellow Diamond is in charge of military and oversees all gem production, ensuring they are of the optimal standards and purging out any defects. By era 3, she’s had hundreds of successful gem colonies. Yellow Diamond can specifically disrupt a gem's physical form with her aura functioning akin to electrokinesis, which enables her to easily zap away a gem's physical form and render them inactive for an indefinite amount of time (about a few days).
Blue Diamond oversaw diplomacy and law enforcement, tending to enforce White Diamond’s rules on homeworld and making sure they are followed to the letter, quelling any resistance or defiance. In addition to that, she’s also the most merciful of the diamonds (sans Pink), being willing to bend the rules for Pink at times and even preserving some off-color gems that were made on earth instead of shattering them for their deformities. Her aura is watery blue, and she is also able to alter the emotions of other gems, enabling them to feel what she feels, especially if she is sad. The last and lowest ranking of the Diamonds is Pink Diamond.
Unlike her peers, Pink has no individual power and cannot make decisions without the other Diamond’s approval, despite being highly referred to by their subjects. Rather, she had more leniency and was seen as a jester of sorts, entertaining the Diamonds with her antics and hosting massive Balls to celebrate their achievements. Her aura is bubbly Pink and she also possesses some unique abilities like florakinesis and healing tears. Despite being entertained by her silliness, Pink Diamond was still looked at as the “immature child” of the group and because of that she wasn’t treated as an equal despite her being just as important as the other diamonds which led to her demanding a colony from her fellow diamonds only for them to refuse until Yellow finally relented and gave her Earth where she would learn the value of life and desired to protect it which led to Pink rebelling and faking her shattering with many of homeworld believing that Pink was dead when in fact she was living on earth peacefully as Rose Quartz. Without Pink, the Diamonds all fell into stages of grief and depression, with some gems beneath them desiring vengeance & justice for the supposed demise of one of the diamonds. Eventually, Pink’s son Steven learned of his heritage and managed to unite the diamonds, convincing them to finally tear down their caste system for good and allow gems to be themselves. As of Era 3, the Diamonds no longer rule over the homeworld, with their colonies being ordered to cease gem production and terraforming of new worlds, as well as weapons of war being confiscated to ensure a peaceful era, rather than the Diamonds spending their time atoning for their crimes against gems by helping them instead of commanding them. White Diamond now helps other gems get in touch with themselves and their feelings of self-worth allowing gems to control her instead of the other way around, Yellow Diamond now spends her time repairing the gems she has shattered and clustered together and altering their forms to resemble their old selves, and Blue Diamond has evaporated her tears into clouds to allow other gems to feel a state of euphoria or joy. Despite no longer ruling the homeworld, the Diamond Authority still has some reigning influence on the gem kind.
Garnets:
Garnets are known to be commanders of the Gem Homeworld, usually seen commanding fleets and colonies. They are seen as overseers and possibly generals of sorts. Though they never physically appeared in the show, they have been strongly implied to be of high status with Bismuth regarding Pyropes as “the crustiest of all the upper crust”. Garnets come in at least 3 different varieties and individual jobs such as
Hessonites bright orange garnets who command the armies and mainly focusing on battle plans and strategy, Demantoids bright yellow/green gems who oversee the middle and lower classes such as Bismuths and focus mainly on technology and colony infrastructure, and Pyropes pinkish-red garnets who oversee all upper class gems once the colony is finished.
Emeralds:
Emeralds are high-ranking diplomatic gems; they are known to be in charge of commanding fleets and typically command a large army of Citrines, who are also high-class Quartz soldiers. Only one Emerald has been seen so far and is known to own at least 3 star ships.
Sapphires:
Sapphires are rare, intelligent aristocratic gems known for their ability to see the future. Due to their rarity and unique abilities, they are particularly valuable to Homeworld and are placed among Blue Diamond’s court, although other Diamonds have access to them as well. Commonly, they are typically flanked and guarded by Ruby gems. Though they are high-ranking gems, they are typically known for predicting a singular future for other gems where they don’t interfere or alter events.
Sapphires are physically short gems with round faces and a single eye; they all typically wear ball gowns with poofy sleeves and elbow length gloves. They all have different hair styles, but they all commonly have their hair conceal their eye no matter how they wear their hair. The reason behind this is to help aid in predicting the future. Though they mostly come in shades of blue, different types of Sapphires exist, as one defective Sapphire (Padparadschas) is colored orange and is noted by Garnet to be extremely rare. Their honorific is “Your Clarity.”
Morganites:
Morganites are extremely high ranking aristocratic gems, high enough to own and command other gems such as Rubies and Pearls. They are particularly in charge of designing architectures within Homeworld’s society. One particular Morganite even had the pleasure of designing the diamonds' palanquins.
Aquamarines:
Aquamarines are extremely high in ranking, regarded by a nervous Pearl as “a big deal” as they are high enough to be commanded by Blue Diamond personally. They are higher than Topazes (who are high-class warriors themselves). They seem to hold multiple uses within the empire as they are strongly implied to be “assistants” to the diamonds being sent on special assignments, such as capturing human variations for the human zoo or pulling back curtains to reveal the Diamonds during the Era 3 Ball.
Aquamarines are extremely small in stature, resembling that of a small child; they all also possess a small bow in their hair, which, when unfolded, becomes a “wand” that can fire a potent tractor beam able to even immobilize large fusions like Alexandrite, along with multiple people. They all wear skirts with a vest, tights, gloves, and flat blue shoes. As of era 3, all of their bows have been confiscated due to Yellow Diamond’s “No weapons of war” decree. Despite their small stature, they are able to compensate with their ability to fly at high speeds, like Lapis Lazuli’s; they are able to generate Water Wings (though they are smaller, straighter, and more pixie-like).
Jades:
Jades appear to be of a high-class variety among homeworld. They are common aristocratic gems among homeworld having at least 9 different varieties under different diamonds. They are high enough to attend high-profile areas such as the palace, as well as be seen at the ball. They are implied to live as aristocratic citizens, as some were seen in Pyrope’s colony. They all appear to be as tall as Pearls and all wear dresses. As mentioned before, they come in different varieties from “cog” Jades, to “wheel” Jades, to “star” Jades, to “pompous” Jades, to “medium” Jades, to “tiny” Jades to “tube” Jades to “fancy” Jades.
Lapis Lazulis:
Lapis Lazulis are shown to be extremely valuable to the empire. They were stated by Yellow Diamond to be terraformers as they are shown to manipulate large bodies of water which they use to reshape land or slice through solid surfaces such as rock in order to make the worlds more suitable for colonization and gem production. This likely helps in creating canyons for the Kindergartens. Because of this, they are extremely powerful and high enough in ranking to even appear in Blue Diamond’s court. One Lapis Lazuli was even able to “borrow” the entirety of the Earth’s ocean to become a “space elevator” and simultaneously create water clones to distract and overwhelm the remaining Crystal Gems on Earth. Peridot had stated that they are partial to flying and water. All Lapis Lazulis are humanoid in appearance, physically resembling that of a teenage girl. They all have bob cuts and usually wear cropped sleeveless tops and long skirts. Their gemstones resemble an actual teardrop. Lapis Lazulis are also capable of flight by generating water wings (likely manipulating the molecules in the air), which is likely to allow them to travel to different worlds faster in order to complete different assignments once they are finished with the world they were supposed to help terraform. It is also implied that this compensates for their weak durability and lack of strength to enable them to evade enemies or debris more effectively.
Topazes:
Topazes are high-ranking soldier-class gems exceeding those of Quartzes and Rubies. They are high enough to be commanded by Yellow Diamond personally, according to Pearl, being referred to as a “big deal”. When not in battle, they are normally present guarding areas where the Diamonds are usually present or other high-ranking gems. Similar to Rubies, Topaz are allowed to fuse in order to combine their already immense strength against larger threats, becoming an even more powerful threat. Because Topazes are extremely high in ranking as soldiers, they display very little individuality, rarely speaking, even when spoken to, remaining silent and only performing their duties and following commands. Typically Topazes appear to be very large and muscular gems, standing about the same height as a Lazuli, many of them having a yellow appearance, orange visor, and buzz cut with the same stoic expression. Besides guarding, they are also sent on special retrieval assignments, such as when 2 Topaz soldiers were sent to capture 6 human variations for the Human Zoo, with the Topazes specifically using their fusion to capture them all.
Zircons:
Zircons are gems of medium ranking, being somewhat important as they serve the upper classes, but having little to no power. Zircons work in Homeworld’s Judicial system as lawyers working as both the prosecutor or defense. However, they have no control over what cases they are assigned to do as one Zircon was forced to take on a case “defending” Rose Quartz despite numerous amounts of evidence stacked against their defendant. It is even strongly implied that Zircons that do not or cannot defend their charge is shattered or face with punishment similar to the gem they are defending, despite them only merely performing their duties with their relationship with their clients being merely professional. They are all tall and thin with wide shoulders and long legs as well as wearing boxy jackets and long flared pants. All Zircons appear to have a holographic “monocle” which enables them to pull up holographic projections, including information, research, and study. They are all blessed with keen intellect, the workings of the Homeworld system, logic, common sense, emotional intelligence, and facts. Their hair appears to be tucked in (or sprouting from) their neck, making it resemble a hood of sorts. Following era 3, with the abolishment of the caste system, 2 of the Zircons that previously defended and prosecuted Steven are shown running for office in a fair and more democratic system in place.
Nephrites:
Nephrite’s are gems of medium ranking. They are high enough to be in contact with Yellow Diamond herself, something she would not do to lower-ranking gems, although they are also commanded by Garnets such as Hessonites. Nephrites are in charge of piloting drop ships down to colonies, where they would begin building structures for the initial stages of colonization. A handful of Nephrites were corrupted by the Diamond blast, becoming “Centipeedles”; however, amazingly, despite their bestial mentality, they still retained memories of their old life as the captain of them (described by Yellow Diamond as “perfectly adequate”) wished to return to her ship via the Crystal Gems warp pad in order to reunite with her crew.
Quartzes:
Quartzes are a medium class ranking, functioning as warriors, and seem to make up the bulk of the homeworld’s army. They appear to be less common than Rubies but more intelligent and less disposable. Though many quartzes contain powers of offense, others, such as Rose Quartzes, carry powers of defense. Out of many gems, Quartzes are shown to have the most varieties with their subtypes (Jaspers & Amethyst), even having rare subtypes of their own. The most common type of Quartzes are Amethysts & Jaspers. Typically, Quartzes function as guards, escorts, or soldiers, often being assigned to escort or guard other gems, with it not being uncommon for them to guard Sapphires or be assigned to escort other non soldier gems such as Peridots. Some factions of quartzes are given some administrative control, such as Agates, who are normally assigned to manage and intimidate other quartzes in order to keep them all in line and stay on task whenever they goof off. Citrine soldiers are also known to guard higher ranking gems such as Emeralds or Hessonites. Physically, Quartz soldiers are large and broad shouldered, possessing messy pale (sometimes dark) long hair, and a muscular build. Rarely but occasionally defects may occur usually due to poor quality of the Kindergartens they emerged from, 2 known phenomenons managed to occur such as Crystal Gem “Amethyst” whom despite being made with optimal resources came out “overcooked” and did not meet height standards being only a fraction of height compared to a normal quartz and staying in the ground way to long; a Jasper whom despite being made in a Kindergarten with terrible resources managed to come out “perfect” and was regarded by Peridot, a certified kindergartener, as “The Ultimate Quartz”. It was because of these key traits that particular Jasper was realigned to Yellow Diamond’s faction of Gems, while the others were taken in by Blue Diamond. Due to the variety of quartzes, however, certain minor changes may occur, such as color, hair, eye shapes, noses, or even jawlines may vary. Every homeworld Quartz wears the same standard homeworld uniform to denote which Diamond faction they serve under, with only some variations. Agates, such as Holly Blue, wear a slightly decorated variation, such as a shawl and boots, due to her managerial position. Decorated Quartzes may also wear capes.
Agates:
According to Yellow Diamond, “an Agate terrifies,” and judging from Holly Blue Agate’s position & Mannerisms, Agates appear to be administrators of sorts made to keep lower gems (especially quartzes) in line, even through physical abuse. They are made to intimidate other gems into obedience and ensure they perform their duties. Only 2 Agates have been seen so far, such as Holly Blue & Blue Lace, the former serving as Blue Diamond’s personal attaché, honoring her request to upkeep Pink Diamond’s Zoo under her careful watchful eye.
Citrines:
Citrines are a type of subquartz assigned to guard higher class gems such as Emeralds or Hessonites. Not much is known about them, but they appear to rank higher than normal quartz but presumably lower than Agates.
Rose Quartzes:
Rose Quartzes are a pinkish subtype of quartz gems. They are exclusively made on Earth from Pink Diamond herself and seem to take elements of her personality, being very similar to Pink herself. While they were still soldiers as Quartzes, Rose Quartz were known for having powers of defense rather than offense, which was considered unique even among warrior factions of gems. Tragically, however, due to the rebellion of a single Rose Quartz (which was actually Pink Diamond herself), the Rose Quartzes were wrongly “retired” and bubbled by Pink Diamond herself, creating a tenuous amount of resentment between the Rose Quartzes and Pink Diamond. They were stored in Pink Diamond’s Zoo. Worse following the “shattering” of Pink Diamond, both Blue and Yellow Diamond were at odds with each other on how to deal with them, the former wishes to preserve them since the gems and bubbles were made by her and wanted to honor her memory while the latter wished to shatter them all so as to punish the entire subtype for the defection of one Rose Quartz. Following era 3, they were reactivated and allowed to live in the Human Zoo amongst the zoomans and quartz soldiers previously assigned to guard it, though the gems still held resentment and sadness towards their creator for wrongfully imprisoning them while understanding that Steven is not Pink Diamond but carries her gem. It is strongly implied that Pink created them to cover her tracks as Rose Quartz.
Cherry Quartzes:
A cherry pinkish subtype of Quartz.
Jaspers:
Jaspers are tangerine subtype quartz gems with orange/brownish markings. Some jaspers can come in different shades depending on the type, such as Zebra Jasper, Ocean Jasper, or Biggs Jasper, which have a white/grey, teal, or rocky brownish color. The most common Jasper is the “Red Striped Jasper.” Like other quartzes, Jaspers typically act as soldiers or guards, making up the bulk of homeworlds' armies. Jaspers are, in fact, well known for their tenacity on missions. One particular Jasper made from earth under Pink Diamond’s faction had garnered something of a reputation among lower-class gems for her ferocity in battle and perfect form, having emerged from her kindergarten with her helmet on and immediately taking out 80 Crystal Gem soldiers. It should be noted that, despite being made with terrible conditions, she is a superior specimen even among her kind, with even Peridot, a certified kindergartener, having never seen a perfect exit hole like Jasper’s before.
Amethyst:
Amethyst is a purple-ish subtype of quartz. Like Jaspers and other quartzes beneath Agates, Amethysts primarily function as soldiers or guards, making up the bulk of the homeworld’s armies. The Amethysts were primarily made on earth during initial colonization. Following the rebellion, many of them were reassigned to guard Pink Diamond’s Zoo and now serve Blue Diamond. Amethyst are also known for being playful, comedic, rude, aggressive, and playing pranks at times. One particular Amethyst (Facet-5 Cut-8XM), however, had emerged 500 years after the rest of the Amethyst and essentially became overcooked, thus coming out shorter than how she was intended to be and being defective, unable to discern her purpose as a gem soldier and barely aware of the customs of the gem homeworld, which had long since abandoned her.
Carnelians:
A reddish-orange type of quartz. Only 1 has been seen and mentioned with her exit hole having come out sideways, and due to being made with terrible resources, she had come out undersized.
Peridots:
Peridots are also among low ranking gems within the caste system. They usually work as technicians and engineers, and are commonly used as kindergarteners, sometimes even sent to perform field operations on other worlds. Because they are all workers, they are all considered a lower class and are only allowed in elite Homeworld areas, such as the palace, if they have a job or assignment to complete. They also appear to be managed or commanded by Garnets such as Hessonites or Demantoids. They all have gifted intellect and are usually used as maintenance workers around Homeworld. Due to a lack of available resources, Era 2 Peridots come out smaller than intended and do not possess standard gem abilities like shape shifting or weapon summoning, so they are granted limb enhancers to compensate for height requirements and lack of power. Interestingly, however, they do possess extreme durability akin to the diamonds themselves and are able to survive extreme damage or trauma to their form without “poofing”. Also, Peridot 5XG discovered ferrokinesis, implying Era 2 gems were more powerful than initially believed.
Bismuths:
Bismuths are low-ranking gems in the caste system. They typically work as builders and are used to build structures and ships for other aristocratic gems. While not necessarily soldiers, they are made for intense physical labor and are given significant strength and high durability, being immune to high temperatures and changing their hands to create durable tools via shape shifting. They have large top heavy builds and all have multi colored dreadlocks and seem to come in cool colors like blue, purple, and green. Uniquely, they all have “innie” gems with individual colors.
Obsidians:
Obsidians are tall, bulky, grey/blackish gems. Like Bismuths, they are of the worker class and are assigned to dig trenches and encampments for the homeworld’s armies. Similar to Sapphires, certain subtypes have some unique abilities, such as cryokinesis, as Snowflake Obsidian is capable of generating large blocks of ice. It is also implied that these specific subtypes are placed on missions pertaining to their individual skillset.
Rutiles:
Rutiles are tall reddish/orange gems with rectangular like figures similar to their gems. Not much is known about them or their intended purpose, but they appear to have piloting capabilities. They are implied to be low ranking and are mass produced. Only one defective Rutile has been seen so far.
Rubies:
Rubies are among lower class ranking of the gem caste system. They are common soldiers or cannon fodder among Homeworld, with Crystal Gem Ruby affirming that there are “tons” of them. Because of that, they are seen as expendable grunts and are generally unimportant. Primarily, their job is body guarding other high ranking gems such as Sapphires. However, they can also be sent on retrieval and recovery missions. Because of their small stature and general incompetence, Rubies are known to travel in groups of 3 or more in order to compensate against potential threats. Similar to Topazes, Rubies are allowed to fuse in battle, the reason being that they are ineffective soldiers alone, and no Ruby is sent alone to do anything with a rejuvenated Crystal Gem Pearl, being confused on why there weren’t more Rubies guarding a rejuvenated Crystal Gem “Sapphire”. Their main source of strength is their ability to combine into a larger ruby against threats. Since they are common soldiers, collectively, Rubies are known to not be very intelligent and are easily fooled; even the eldest among them is susceptible to deception. Holly Blue Agate regarded them as irresponsible and incompetent. Despite that, they are still trusted to pilot ships such as the Roaming Eye. Rubies are also not known for their individuality and are not supposed to have distinct personalities; the fact that they do “flies under the radar,” meaning they appear serious around higher-class gems. Physically, they all appear reddish and small in size with boxy shapes and afro-like hair, most wearing the same basic uniform with the homeworld insignia. Like real rubies, their tone changes as they age as one particular Ruby with a gem for an eye has the lightest complexion among her team, indicating she is the eldest, while the other 2 have darker complexions, indicating they are the youngest among their team. Rubies also have some pyrokinetic abilities, which appear to be tied to their emotions, the opposite of Sapphires.
Spinels:
Spinels are seen as entertainers or court jesters. They are specifically designed to be a “best friend” of their perceived owner. They are also implied to be made for a specific gem, as a rejuvenated Spinel instantly recognized Steven as her “best friend” despite being essentially rebooted and robbed of her memories. A rejuvenated Pearl says that Steven is a “lucky one” for acquiring such a gem, strongly implying that they are, in fact, rare. This is further demonstrated by the fact that the Diamonds instantly recognize Pink Diamond’s Spinel, while they have a tough time remembering other gems that are designated with numbers to differentiate them. Though one Spinel in existence has been shown, it’s been shown that their bodies are malleable and elastic, similar to rubber or putty, exceeding even that of Bismuths or even experienced shapeshifters like Amethyst 8XM. Unlike many gems, Spinels are inheritantly programmed to be “silly” and exhibit behavior that higher class gems would deem unprofessional since their job is to be entertainers. Similar to Pearls, Spinels are also seen as “extensions” of one's court, and due to this, Pink Diamond’s Spinel had access to Pink Diamond’s armory and was allowed to be present in Pink’s Court. From what we can tell, Spinels' base forms are around the height of an adolescent human, and their gemstones resemble playing cards (diamonds, hearts, clovers, etc).
Pearls:
Pearls are amongst the servants of Homeworld, being made purely to be “ladies-in-waiting” and custom-made with the sole purpose of serving a specific master, typically a higher class gem (such as a diamond) or, in more rarer cases, a gem that has been rewarded to an individual Pearl. Typically, a Pearl’s duties varies as they usually perform different duties such as tending to request or making request on behalf of their master, a footman, or secretary.
They are also equipped with knowledge and can relay Homeward culture and specific gem types to their owners, even rare and exotic gems like Spinels. They are not necessarily entertainers like Spinels, but are naturally equipped with certain luxuries such as the ability to sing, dance, and project visual imagery through holograms projected from their gemstone. A unique ability among them is their ability to store and hold items inside their gemstone to a near limitless number, with a Pearl inside even managing them until they are ready to be resummoned. Like many lower-class gems in the Caste System, Pearls are not known for their individuality or the ability to do anything besides following orders and tending needs, as they are seen as status symbols rather than individuals, with Yellow Pearl insisting that her feelings are “irrelevant”. They are supposed to be submissive and made-to-order. Peridot also reinforced this by explaining that Pearls are “someone’s shiny toy” and could not fathom the idea of “Crystal Gem” Pearl being more than a servant, initially refusing to accept her high intellect or Pearl’s independence. Jasper stated that a Pearl without an owner is seen as “lost” or “defective”. While the Crystal Gems were impersonating Homeworld Gems, Holly Blue Agate also saw Pearl as poorly manned due to her taking too long to perform tasks (such as opening doors), walking too close to her “owner”, and speaking too much. When a Pearl is no longer needed, the owner commands “that will be all” followed by a clap. A Pearl cannot physically disobey any commands given to them by their owners; however, they can “loop” around the order if possible. Too many commands by their owners (or those they are addressing) can also “break” them. As mentioned earlier, besides the Diamonds, Pearls are normally reserved for higher ranking gems with rare but noteworthy abilities such as Sapphires, Garnets, Emeralds, Jades, Garnets, Aquamarines, & Morganites. It is uncommon for lower-ranking gems such as Peridots or Rubies to own or command Pearls, as Peridot called the idea “ridiculous.” However, it is shown that Pearls can be “awarded” to gems who have done something noteworthy to deserve one, as one particular Ruby fantasized about owning one for possibly defeating Rose Quartz. Despite their low level status, Pearls are also seen as extensions of their owners as Yellow Pearl scolded Peridot for using the Diamond line and deliberately ignoring her excuse that it was an emergency because she didn’t have authorization from anyone higher than her and did not wish for anyone to disturb her. White Pearl (Pink Pearl under White Diamond’s thrall) was able to even make the other Diamonds tremble in fear when her presence was known and tread lightly in her presence.
Physically, Pearls are slender with a beak like nose with the ability to be customized by their owner in color and appearance. Most Homeworld Pearls wear a singlet or skin-tight body suit with flowy material to reflect aspects of their owner’s clothing. When a Pearl first forms, a clam shell forms around them, in this state, the perceived owner (the first voice they detect) is able to claim ownership. They also ask for customization. When no answer is given, the default setting, a short dress with all four colors, is chosen. The particular Pearl is also multicolored by comparison to other Pearls. Every Pearl is made at the Reef where they are also customized, repaired of any damages to their form, or even rejuvenated if their owner is unsatisfied with them. Pearls can even be gifted “accessories” such as fans or ribbons. Rebecca Sugar also implies that White Diamond is directly involved in their creation.
Pebbles:
Pebbles are low ranking servants of homeworld, they are tiny gems that appear to fulfill whatever request someone demands, such as making furniture, sewing, or being seamstresses, whilst staying out of sight. They are able to build and construct at a fast rate. They extremely low ranking (perhaps even lower than Pearls), being seldom thanked or acknowledged.
Fusion Gems:
In Homeworld’s dogma, Fusion gems are allowed under certain guidelines. Fusions are only allowed among warrior classes if and only if they’re used for battle or something useful, such as retrieving specimens. As such, only gems of the same type, such as Rubies or Topazes are allowed to fuse. Rubies in particular commonly use fusion in combat to compensate for their small stature. Fusion outside of combat is seen as highly inappropriate; it is heavily implied that this is to keep the fusions from developing “feelings” and becoming emotional.
Fusion of 2 or more different gems (even those of the same gem but different varieties) is seen as the ultimate taboo and capital offense punishable by execution (shattering). A cross gem fusion involving a common Ruby and aristocratic Sapphire was met with disdain among the gems in Blue Diamond’s court, referred to as “unheard of” and “disgusting”. What makes this rule even worse is that many higher-class gems, such as Pink Diamond, didn’t even know that fusing between 2 different gems was even possible. A veteran Jasper regarded fusion as a “just a cheap tactic to make weak Gems stronger.” The reasoning behind this prejudice is that the fusion creates a new gem with no role to fill in their society, evidenced by Blue Diamond’s almost mocking reaction to hearing Garnet’s name before wondering where she would fit in. It’s because of this that the fusion gems are considered “off-color,” with them being cast out.
Defective Gems:
Defective gems, also derogatively known as “Off Colors,” are gems that cannot perform their duties due to emerging with certain physical or mental defects.
This can happen when gems stay incubated in the ground too long, emerge with defects to their gemstone, which may effect their form, or due to poor resources and rushed attempts to produce more soldiers. Some examples include Amethyst 8XM, who emerged over 500 years later, becoming “overcooked”, because of this, she emerged shorter than other Quartz Soldiers, being only slightly taller than the average adolescent human. A Carnelian suffered a similar defect only being slightly taller than Amethyst 8XM. Another example is the Rutile Twins whom due to their gemstone splitting off the top, resulted in them becoming conjoined gems instead of one, thus emerging as what people would call an “abomination”. Defects can even occur to a gem’s intended purpose, as a specific Padparadscha Sapphire can only predict visions of events that have only recently just come to pass (though she can still provide insight that others may have missed), making her visions useless. Defective gems are normally cast out and those who are caught are immediately shattered, the only exception to the rule are the off color gems made on earth whom were preserved by Blue Diamond to preserve the memory of Pink Diamond and realigned to serve her. Another exception to the rule is Amethyst being allowed to attend if she is outfitted with Limb enhancers to meet up with Height Requirements.
Corrupted Gems:
Corrupted gems do not exist within Homeworld society, as confirmed by Peridot and the Diamonds themselves. Their creation was revealed to be a complete accident as none of the Diamond’s intended for the gems to be corrupted by their light attack; rather, it was a strategy to destroy every gem on the surface to ensure the Crystal Gem’s rebellion could no longer threaten Homeworld. However, the blast had given the gems fates worse than death. The blast appears to have brought out the very worst in all of the Diamonds’ abilities, with their bodies, minds, and emotions being altered at an alarming rate and transforming them into barely recognizable creatures with bestial mentalities (or in severe cases, having no form at all). A majority of the Corrupted Gems were Crystal Gems; however, a smaller number of Homeworld Gems, such as Nephrite 12 & Cherry Quartz, also existed. It is shown that corruption can extend to those who fuse with them as Jasper experienced.
Part of the Crystal Gems' mission was also to round up and contain all the corrupted gems to prevent them from hurting themselves or others unfortunate enough to come across them, as well as figure out a way to hopefully cure them. Fortunately, Steven managed to unite the other diamonds with Rose’s Fountain, which managed to enhance its potency, allowing them to cure a majority of the Corrupted gems and return them to their normal form.
However, “scars” are also carried over from their corruption, such as Nephrite’s spikes, Jasper’s horns, or Bixbite’s claw.
Gem Shards:
Gem Shards are shattered gems that were executed due to either being defective or rebellion. Despite essentially being deceased, however, each shard still holds “a powerful partial consciousness that has been harnessed by Gems throughout history to create semi-sentient drone soldiers with the capacity to follow basic orders” meaning that the shard can be used to possess inanimate objects or as power sources presumably to make sure the gems still provide some type of use for Homeworld despite their defection. However, this proved to be extremely dangerous as the shard can develop sentience (presumably due to sensory overload) and start attacking everything around them as Pearl warned Steven. The Gem Shards can sometimes even regenerate as disembodied limbs to seek out their lost shards in a vain attempt to become whole again. An evil spirit scroll was created using Gem shards as pigment, though it remains unknown who created it.
Cluster Gems:
Cluster Gems are gem shards that are forcibly fused together under intense pressure, causing them to become Gem Mutants of sorts and giving them all fates worse than death. Most of the prototypes are barely sentient and are unaware of their former selves; rather, they seek out other gem shards in an attempt to make themselves whole again, and this even extends to gems who already whole, as they will become hostile and attack gems they detect. Many of the prototypes & experiments existed as a byproduct of the final version, which is The Cluster, a gigantic gem geo-weapon made of over a million gem shards incubating deep in the Earth’s core.
The entire process was overseen by Yellow Diamond as she and her court managed to secretly begin the process of creating the Cluster once Earth was deemed a failed colony (somehow even managing to elude Garnet’s future vision) presumbally after “Pink Diamond’s shattering,” so Yellow Diamond sought out other uses for the planet by putting the Cluster project into fruition. Once emerging, the Diamonds’ likely intended to use it to dominate, threaten, or destroy other worlds for their colonies. It also implied the reason behind the project is to merely wipe out Homeworld’s embarrassment as well as erase memories of Pink. The Cluster was fortunately contained by Steven and Peridot 5XG, the former revealing that the gigantic being is actually sentient and does possess some form of intelligence. Following Era 3, Yellow Diamond now puts her time towards repairing the gems she has shattered and clustered, as well as fixing their deformities with her light-altering powers, since not all of their shards can be recovered.
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