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Seasoned players know Stardew Valley gets easier the longer you play the game. At first, the biggest challenge for new players is the task of finding enough money. Once you stop worrying so much about your bank account, you can use plenty of time raising animals, befriending villagers, or even spending most of the day in the mines fighting monsters and collecting gems.
The gems and minerals in Stardew Valley are so appealing because searching for them in the mines is fun, and they’re collectible and valuable. Beginner players may be tempted to sell these as soon as possible to earn some money, but that’s not always the best option. After reading this list, you will (hopefully) better understand which gemstones to hold on to and why.
Updated on August 13, 2023, by Gabrielle Huston: There are probably more uses for the gems and minerals you track down than you realize! We've added a few to this list.
10 Amethyst: Access The Sewing Machine
Befriending the villagers of Stardew Valley sometimes has benefits besides the obvious fun of choosing your favorite bachelor or bachelorette to romance. They can give you access to certain recipes or items in the game. Emily lets you borrow her sewing machine, which will allow you to sew your own clothing and customize your avatar further.
Emily loves many different gems as gifts, but one of the easiest to access early in the game is an amethyst. If you gift amethysts to Emily, you will quickly upgrade your friendship level. Once you hit level 2 friendship with Emily, your tailoring possibilities are basically endless.
9 Fire Quartz: Craft A Slime Press
A fire quartz only sells for 100g in Stardew Valley, so it’s barely going to add to your bank account if you sell it. Instead, save your fire quartz to craft at least one slime egg press, if not more. A slime egg press will make you more money if you’re low on funds.
The slime egg press needs 100 slimes to create a slime egg. You’ll get 100 slime pieces anyway if you’re already in the mines in search of gemstones. A slime egg can hatch into a slime, and then you can choose to farm slime. If you don’t want to farm slime, at minimum a slime egg will sell for a whopping 1,000g per egg.
8 Frozen Tear: The Geologist’s Bundle
To complete the Geologist’s Bundle in the Stardew Valley Community Center, you will need one frozen tear. Other gemstones are needed to complete the Geologist’s Bundle in the Stardew Valley Community Center, but we recommend you keep those gems for other reasons anyway. Once the Geologist Bundle is complete, the Community Center will be one step closer to completion.
Each bundle in the Community Center gives you rewards when you complete it. The Geologist Bundle gives you five omni geodes, and once these are opened, you may get some other valuable gemstones. Restoring the Community Center is part of Stardew Valley’s main storyline, so completing it is essential (unless you side with Joja, of course).
7 Cinder Shard: The Island Trader
It’s best to begin collecting cinder shards as soon as possible when you land on Ginger Island. Cinder shards will be in the volcano, and that is where you will probably use most of the ones you find. At the top of the volcano is a forge, which lets you enchant and upgrade weapons. These powerful weapons will make your time deep in the mines or volcano much easier.
On Ginger Island, cinder shards are also used as currency. You can buy furniture like a torch or bed with cinder shards. These are optional and are just for decorative purposes. Most players would agree every farmer should buy the deluxe retaining soil recipe. This soil will keep your crops watered until harvest, meaning you will have plenty of time to explore the mines or talk to villagers instead of using it watering crops.
6 Aquamarine: Dye Bundle
Aquamarine is a great gemstone to keep as a gift for almost any villager in Stardew Valley. Most villagers either love or like it, so it can help you level up your friendship with your favorite characters. It also is needed to complete one of the bundles in the Stardew Valley Community Center.
The dye bundle at the Community Center is worth the effort of saving an aquamarine, along with other materials. You will be rewarded with a seed maker, which does exactly what it sounds like: it makes new seeds from harvested crops. Growing more crops means earning more money.
5 Diamond
The Crystalarium
For beginner farmers, it may be tempting to sell your first diamond. They sell for 750g, and that is a lot when you don’t have much money. We recommend that you hang onto your diamonds until you can craft a Crystalarium. The Crystalarium is a difficult recipe to craft, but once you gather the materials for it, it is worth the wait.
The Crystalarium in Stardew Valley allows you to copy any gemstone. Because diamonds already sell for a good price, you will make a lot of money by selling multiple copies of diamonds. If you gather enough materials to make multiple Crystalariums, then your profits will skyrocket.
Gift For Villagers
If you're deep into Stardew Valley, you might find yourself a little less thrilled to happen across a diamond. Insane, we know, but when you can earn an ungodly income off of wine and cheese from your farm, the sell price of 750g is less impressive.
Instead of selling them, repurpose your diamonds as gifts! The lowest possible approval rating you can get with a Diamond gift is that they Liked it, whereas some, like Evelyn, Jodi, Penny, Gus, and Maru, even Love it! It's also a great way to start earning friendship points with villagers you haven't spent a lot of time with yet.
4 Quartz: Refined Quartz
Quartz in Stardew Valley is very easy to find. If you go to the mines often, you might get tired of seeing so many quartz pieces. Even if you gather massive amounts of quartz, keep them. Quartz is a commonly appreciated gift for villagers, it can be used in tailoring, and it's even in crafting recipes.
One of the best uses for quartz is to turn it into refined quartz using a furnace. The more advanced recipes, such as the Crystalarium, need refined quartz. These advanced recipes are obtained deeper into the game and will make your money earning and farming a lot easier.
3 Lemon Stone: The Dwarf
Lemon stones are one of the Dwarf's Loved gifts! In fact, he Loves almost all gemstones, but all of the others are Loved gifts for another villager, too. Lemon stones are only appreciated for their true beauty by the Dwarf.
You might not think earning friendship with the Dwarf is worth your time, but once you earn 50 friendship points with him and have bought a Stardrop from Krobus, you'll get a special cutscene.
2 Earth Crystal: Crafting
The animals in Stardew Valley are cute, but they also serve a functional purpose. Animals can be some of the easiest and most fun ways to make profits on your farm. Many players start with chickens early in the game.
Chickens lay eggs. The eggs can then be made into mayonnaise, but to make it you need a mayonnaise machine. The earth crystal is crucial in crafting a mayonnaise machine. Earth crystals are better used for crafting, especially since they sell for a very low price.
1 Prismatic Shard
Galaxy Sword
The rainbow prismatic shard is both beautiful and essential in Stardew Valley. Because of its rarity, it sells for a high price. However, once you find one, you never know how long it'll be until you find the next one. Save the prismatic shard to unlock a hidden item.
In the Stardew Valley desert, there are three pillars. If you hold a prismatic shard up in between the pillars, you will get the galaxy sword. This is one of the best weapons in the game, and it will make your time in the mines a breeze.
Turn Your Kids Into Doves
Obviously, your first prismatic shard should earn you the galaxy sword. But what about your second? Or your third? There are plenty of great uses for this valuable item. One of the most unusual is to hang on to it in case you want to turn your children into doves.
That probably sounds dark, but it's not so bad. After all, what kid hasn't wanted to fly, right? If you want to have new kids for some reason, or maybe get rid of the children you had with an ex, just present a prismatic shard to the appropriate statue in the Witch's Hut. You can't reverse this decision though, so choose carefully.