# The average weight of a gem/jewelery/art.



## dcravey (Jan 30, 2008)

I'd appreciate any info about official rules, rules-of-thumb, or even educated guesses as to the average weight of...

...a single gem.

...one piece of jewelery.

...one art object.

Thanks in advance!


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## frankthedm (Jan 30, 2008)

Gems: Previous edtions wieghed this in at one tenth of a pound IIRC.


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## Arkhandus (Jan 30, 2008)

That's way too much though.....5 gold or platinum coins weighs 1/10th of a pound in D&D.  Gold and platinum are rather heavy elements.  5 coins is not going to be the same weight as a tiny piece of jewelry, like a ring or earring, or a precious stone/gem.

In general, just don't worry about it.  Maybe assume that precious stones and gems are something like half the weight of a coin, if you need to guess (even though some will be heavier and some may be lighter).  Jewelry, just mentally picture it alongside a stack of coins and guesstimate how many coins would be roughly the same size, and use that as a rough estimate of weight.

Like, maybe a typical expensive necklace would weight 1 pound or so, while a cheap one might weigh 1/10th or 1/5th of a pound from having only one precious stone on it and no metal chain.  With a metal chain, it might be 1 pound or so, I dunno.

For bigger jewelry and art, just guesstimate based on a similarly-sized item.  A big painting?  Well, maybe it's the same weight as a few yards of canvas, since it's got a wooden frame and such too.  A statuette or bust the size of your head?  Maybe it's the same weight as a battleaxe or a spool of rope or a full jug of ale.  A golden crown studded with gems and precious stones?  Maybe it's the same weight as a battleaxe too, since gold is heavy.


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## domino (Jan 31, 2008)

A single 1 carat gem weights 1/2000th of a pound.  Effectively negligible.  A round gem, 20mm diameter, give or take, weights about 1/50th of a pound.  That being the standard fantasy size for gems.


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