Description

You are a gemcutter, a master shaper and collector of rare and beautiful gemstones. You are constantly supplied with gems of all kinds from amber to diamonds. You compete with other gemcutters to amass the most valuable collection of gems.

Each player starts the game with a single random gem and the communal Market starts with three random gems. On a player's turn, he or she draws a random gem from the bag and adds it to his or her store. Then, he or she may add one of his or her gems to the Market to gain extra actions equal to the gem's value. The gems are valued 1-5, in order from least to greatest: amber, jet, emerald, ruby, and diamond. Then, that player takes 1 action (in addition any extra actions gained) in which he or she may: trade a gem with the Market, shape a gem, or add another gem to the Market.

When a player trades in a gem, he or she may take other gems from the Market less than or equal to the traded gem's value plus one. For example, if a ruby (value 4) is traded in, it is worth 5 and may be used to trade for a diamond (value 5), an emerald (value 3) and jet (value 2), and many other combinations based on what is available in the Market.

When a player shapes a gem, he or she places it on any of the three appropriate Shaping Tracks on the player aid. A gem may be Polished, then given a Fancy cut, then a Brilliant cut. A gem cannot be given a Fancy cut until it has been Polished and cannot be given a Brilliant cut until it has been given a Fancy cut. Polished gems are worth twice as many points at the end of the game. Fancy cut gems are worth triple and Brilliant cut gems are worth quadruple their values. However, it takes a number of turns equal to its value to be shaped. For example, an emerald (value 3) takes 3 turns to make an uncut gem into a Polished gem. Therefore, the more the points, the longer it takes to shape it.

When the last gem is taken from the bag, the current player finishes his or her turn and then the game proceeds to scoring. The player with the most points wins the game.