LotR -- Book 3 - Chapter 11 - The Palantír

[davem]

The Silmarilli started out, and remained, works of art, not tools of domination. They were objects of beauty, sub-creative art. The fact that continents were sunk over them does not make them less beautiful and it does not make them evil.

The Ring, on the other hand, had no other purpose but evil from its creation.

I didn't say the Silmarilli were evil. I said they were 'addictive' - or worse:they inspired desire in all who saw or heard of them, & their possessors (in most cases) were filled with obsessive thoughts of them to the extent that they were often lead to commit evil. So, even though they were not made with the intention of inspiring domination & evil action they often caused it...