When i was a wee gamer I distinctly remember the first time I saw gemstone dice: they were in a glass case at my local game store and I thought they were just about the coolest thing ever.
Of course, there was no fathomable way I was ever going to have the money to afford such an incredible luxury!
Flash forward a decade or two, and gemstone dice are much easier to find, and the price has come down substantially. As far as I’m aware, the original stone dice manufacturer was Crystal Caste with their “Dwarven Dice.” Their sets were (and still are) incredibly expensive, and to get the price down they offer a lot of sets in miniature sizes rather than as standard-sized dice.
Nowadays you can get the same cool stone D&D dice at full size and only somewhat expensive prices — averaging around $50 for a set, it’s still more expensive than my teenager self could have considered buying, but is now a comfortable indulgence.
If you’re in need of a gift for a gamer, gemstone dice might be a good solution. No matter how many dice your gamer friend or loved one has, he or she will be thrilled to get dice carved from actual stone!