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{{culture
|world=Roshar
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
}}{{spoilers|book=sa3}}
'''Spheres''' are the primary currency in most nations on [[Roshar]]. Each one consists of a [[gemstone]] encased in a glass bead. Gemstones, including the ones in spheres, can temporarily hold [[Investiture]] in the form of [[Stormlight]], offering both a source of light{{book ref|sa1|3}} and fuel for [[Surgebinding]]s.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} Like all gemstones, spheres naturally leak any Stormlight they have absorbed, over a period of about a week.{{book ref|sa1|17}} This has led to the practice of leaving spheres out during highstorms so they can be recharged. Rosharans use the terms '''infused''' and '''dun''' to differentiate between spheres that hold Stormlight at the moment, and ones that have gone dark. They were first devised as an alternative to large open flames, as Roshar's atmosphere has a high oxygen content, making flames behave somewhat differently. {{book ref|au|Rosharan System}}
<!-- TOC needs to be explicitly placed before the <br> tag-->
| pre=! style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center;" {{!}}
}}
{{row| Chip | 0.1{{wob ref|10400}} | 20 | 3{{
{{row| Mark | 0.5{{wob ref|10400}} | 100 | 5{{
{{row| Broam | 2.0{{wob ref|10400}} | 400 | 8{{
|}
Each sphere is made of a tiny gemstone encased in a glass bead that is usually flattened on one side to keep the sphere from rolling away when set down.{{book ref|sa1|27}} The gemstone can belong to any one of the ten [[Polestone]]s{{wob ref|10402}} and can come in one of three different sizes. The glass bead is always a uniform size, a little larger than a person's thumb nail.{{book ref|sa1|3}}
! colspan=3 style="background:#CCCCFF; text-align:center;" | '''Spherelight colors'''{{wob ref|10402}}
{{row| Gem type | Color | pre=! style="text-align:center; font-weight: bold;" {{!}} | pre2=! colspan=2 style="text-align:center; font-weight: bold;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Sapphire | Deep blue | | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} | pre3={{!}} style="background:#00008B;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Smokestone | Translucent | | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} | pre3={{!}} style="background:#FFFFFF;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Ruby | Deep red | | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} | pre3={{!}} style="background:#8B0000;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Diamond | Transparent | | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} | pre3={{!}} style="background:#FFFFFF;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Emerald | Deep green | | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} | pre3={{!}} style="background:#006400;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Garnet | Deep violet | | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} | pre3={{!}} style="background:#9400D3;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Zircon | Pale blue | | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} | pre3={{!}} style="background:#ADD8E6;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Amethyst | Pale violet | | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} | pre3={{!}} style="background:#EE82EE;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Topaz | Pale orange | | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} | pre3={{!}} style="background:#FFA500;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Heliodor | Light yellow | | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} | pre3={{!}} style="background:#FFFFE0;" {{!}} }}
|}
Perhaps the most common use of the spheres is as a light source. Since the gemstones inside them have the ability to hold Stormlight, many Rosharans have adopted the habit of leaving their spheres out during highstorms (in cages or baskets, so they don't get lost or stolen) so they can get (re)charged. Much like the highstorms, Surgebinders are also able to recharge spheres, similarly to how Awakeners can store their Breaths in objects; the Surgebinder must already be Invested, at which point they can will some of their own Stormlight into a gem or sphere. Spheres are leaky containers for Stormlight, however (unlike the [[Polestone#Perfect_Gemstones|perfect gemstones]]), so they slowly lose their Stormlight to a process similar to evaporation. It takes several days for newly infused spheres to lose all of their Stormlight and become dun, though this amount of time varies slightly with the denomination of the spheres.
Due to this property of gemstones, infused spheres often serve as a replacement for other, more traditional light sources, such as candles and lanterns. Given that spherelight is both steadier and more consistent,{{book ref|sa1|23}} as well as being practically infinitely renewable, it is easy to see how people with access to spheres would consider them superior. The amount of light a sphere gives off varies with the denomination: chips barely have any glow at all, marks glow almost as bright as a candle, and broams glow with the light of several candles.{{book ref|sa1|3}} The color of the spherelight also changes predictably from sphere type to sphere type - emeralds glow green, rubies
Although spheres are generally a superior source of light, many people, especially those less well-off or living in poorer regions, still use candles or lanterns. Using candles and lanterns is often cheaper than using spheres, since a sphere's dual status as currency makes it liable to be stolen.{{book ref|sa1|23}} This problem does not exist for wealthy or noble [[lighteyes]] who may use all-sphere lighting either as a practical matter or to show off their wealth. For example, the entirety of [[Kharbranth]]'s royal treasury is stored in the [[Palanaeum]] to be used as a source of light for the visitors and staff.{{book ref|twok|33}}
{{row| Sphere values{{wob ref|10402}} | pre=! colspan=5 style="background:#CCCCFF; text-align:center; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Tier | Value (chip) | Value (mark) | Value (broam) | Spheres | pre=! style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Cheapest | 1 | 5 | 20 | Diamond | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Less weight | 5 | 25 | 100 | Garnet, heliodor, topaz | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Middle weight | 10 | 50 | 200 | Ruby, smokestone, zircon | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Prime pair | 25 | 125 | 500 | Amethyst, sapphire | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Highest | 50 | 250 | 1000 | Emerald | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} }}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;"
{{row|
{{row| Gemstone | Chip | Mark | pre=! style="font-weight: bold;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Diamond | Clearchip{{book ref|sa2|43}} | Clearmark{{book ref|sa1|11}} | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Garnet | Bloodchip | Bloodmark{{book ref|sa1|17}} | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Ruby | Firechip | Firemark{{book ref|sa1|3}} | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} }}
{{row| Sapphire | Skychip{{book ref|sa1|55}} | Skymark{{book ref|sa1|8}} | pre1={{!}} style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;" {{!}} }}
|}
== Notes ==
<references>
{{url ref|name=igs|url=https://www.gemsociety.org/article/standard-gem-sizes-chart/|text=International Gem Society: Standard Gem Sizes Chart|site=IGS|date=2018-07-01
{{url ref|name=diamondnexus|url=https://www.diamondnexus.com/product-education-mm-to-catat-weight-conversion.html|text=Diamond Nexus: MM to carat weight conversion values|site=Diamond Nexus|date=2018-07-01
{{url ref|name=lat|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1996-04-13/home/hm-58312_1_measuring-tools|text=Los Angeles Times: Measuring Up Without Ruler|site=Los Angeles Times|date=1996-04-13
</references>
{{partial}}{{edit note|date=2018-06-30|claim=Argent}}
{{Stormlight}}
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