On the elven ring stones

[Alfirin]

Greetings,

I was just wondering (after a conversation I had yesterday if anyone though that the three stones in the elven rings had any special properties that led to them being chosen or were they simply and ordinary diamond, (presumably) ruby, and (presumably) saphirre?

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

I think they were "ordinary" stones, except probably that they'd surely be prized just as stones. I'm not an expert in these things, but I mean that they would have been probably valued gems among the goldsmiths&co., like in our world there are some prized exemplars of diamonds and whatever (though the only example I can think of now is the Pink Panter :p ). But aside from that, these stones, I am quite sure, had nothing special on them, at least not any "powers" or similar things.

However, what exactly they were I'm not quite sure - Galadriel's Ring had surely diamond in it, but it would be interesting if anyone could bring any evidence of what the other two stones could have been (though sapphire and ruby are the most typical choices, Alfirin is right to say "presumably", as we don't know for sure).

[Quempel]

I always assumed Galadriels ring had a sliver of sil in it, not a diamond. As for the other two rings, my guess is Gil-galads had a blue stone because it was his signature color? And perhaps the same can be said for the red.

[Morwen]

Galadriel's ring is referred to as the Ring of Adamant which suggests that its particular stone was a diamond.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I don't think the silmarils were the kind of stones that could be split, so a sil sliver doesn't seem possible. Adamant does usually mean diamond, though it could mean any very hard substance, so it's not definite.

My opinion is that the stones' colours are symbolic for their meanings: red for fire, white for water, blue for air. Foster's Guide does say that the blue stone was a sapphire, though I haven't yet looked up any quotes for Tolkien's final word on it.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

From Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age;

Therefore ere the Third Age was ended the Elves perceived that the Ring of Sapphire was with Elrond, in the fair valley of Rivendell, upon whose house the stars of heaven most brightly shone

[Quempel]

Thanks for the clarification. Adamant makes sense.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

And I found it; here it is about all of the Rings:

Now these were the Three that had last been made, and they possessed the greatest powers. Narya, Nenya, and Vilya, they were named, the Rings of Fire, and of Water, and of Air, set with ruby and adamant and sapphire

That's for my own relief.