Spheres

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Spheres
by User: Sheep
Type	Currency
World	Roshar
Books	The Stormlight Archive

Open questions

• Karen says amethysts are light red (along with garnets), but there are several references in the books where they are described as violet or purple:

“ The only lights were broam spheres set at each corner of the lift’s ceiling. Amethysts, which had a soft violet light. ”

— Shallan, riding the lift in the Palanaeum.

“ In the darkness, Shallan’s violet spheres gave life to the rain. ”

— Shallan, on her trip to Narak

“ The footfalls started again, and Darkness appeared at the top of the stairs, holding an amethyst sphere in one hand, a glittering Shardblade in the other. The violet light lit his face from below, outlining his chin and cheeks, but leaving his eyes dark. ”

— Lift, running away from Nale

• What is conversion ratio between rubies and diamonds?
• Are all ten Polestones used in spheres?

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 and fuel for fabrials^{[citation needed]} and Surgebindings.^{[citation needed]} Like all gemstones, spheres naturally leak any Stormlight they have absorbed, over several days - with larger denominations taking slightly longer.^{[citation needed]} This has led to the practice of leaving spheres out in baskets and cages during highstorms so they can be recharged. The Rosharan terms for spheres full and empty of Stormlight are infused and dun respectively.

Appearance

Each sphere is made of a tiny gemstone encased in a glass bead, usually flattened on one side to keep the sphere from rolling away when set down. The glass bead has a fixed size - a little larger than a person's thumbnail. Contrasting the uniformity of the bead, the gemstone inside comes in a variety of types and sizes; its type can belong to any one of the ten Polestones, and each one of those comes in three different sizes.

Dimensions

Exact measurements for the glass beads or their embedded gemstones are not available, but they can be deduced from a Reddit post by Peter Ahlstrom where he confirms the weight of each denomination, in carats.^{[citation needed]} The following table lists the mass and diameter of each denomination, assuming a uniform round cut.

Sphere measurements

Denomination	Mass · ct	Mass · mg	Diameter · mm
Chip	0.1	20	3
Mark	0.5	100	5
Broam	2	400	8

TODO: Sources

1. https://www.gemsociety.org/article/standard-gem-sizes-chart/
2. https://www.diamondnexus.com/product-education-mm-to-catat-weight-conversion.html

Currency

The monetary value of each sphere is a direct consequence of causes both mundade (the size of the sphere's gemstone) and arcane (the Soulcasting properties of each gem type). The gem size defines the denomination of the sphere. From smallest to largest, these are chip, mark, and broam. The gem type is applied as a qualifier to the denomination (e.g. diamond chip, or emerald broam) to form the twenty-seven different monetary units of Roshar.

One property of Rosharan spheres that does not affect their value is whether they are infused or dun. However, since the glow from the Stormlight is the easiest way to prove that a sphere is not a counterfeit, people are sometimes suspicious of dun spheres and those who try to spend them. Merchants with access to the proper equipment may inspect the gem quality of dun spheres to ensure their authenticity, or call for a moneylender. Moneylenders serve an additional purpose in Rosharan societies, and that is to offer infused spheres in exchange for dun ones, since an established moneylender usually has access to secure baskets they can safely recharge spheres in. They can extend this service to people interested in recharging their own spheres safely, though this comes with a small convenience fee.

For details about using spheres as a currency in Shadesmar, see Shadesmar Currency.

Value

Although the large number of monetary units may make spheres appear complex, the conversion between the three different denominations offers some stability. Within the same gem type, each broam is equivalent to four marks, and each mark is equivalent to five chips - making a broam equal to twenty chips. Beyond these, the value of each type of sphere - and, therefore, the relative value of all types - is intrinsically tied to how valuable the given gem is in Soulcasting. Emeralds, which can be used to Soulcast food, are the most valuable ones, with other types dropping off and leading to diamonds, the least valuable of all spheres.

There are currently four known values of spheres (and by extension, four known gemstones used in spheres), with some combinations of denomination and gemstone overlapping in value. Below is a table of all currently known spheres, with their value given in terms of a diamond chip, the lowest denomination of the least valued gemstone.

Sphere values

Gem type	Chips	Marks	Broams
Diamond	1	5	20
Garnet	5	25	100
Sapphire	25	125	500
Emerald	50	250	1000

The existence of several other spheres is confirmed, but their exact monetary values are currently unknown. They are: ruby chips, ruby marks, ruby broams, zircon chips, amethyst broams, topaz chips, and topaz marks.

Spheres as Light

If left outside during a highstorm, the gemstone inside of a sphere is infused with Stormlight. Over time, usually around a week, all of the Stormlight will escape leaving the sphere dun, so it ceases to glow. 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.

Due to this property of gemstones, infused spheres are often used as a source of light, since the light is renewable and more consistent than candles and lanterns. Though the light given off by a gemstone is reputed to be steady and calm, this is only in comparison to the even more flickering candlelight; Kaladin observes that the Stormlight inside of a gemstone is actually shifting like a chaotic blowing storm.

Although spheres are generally a superior source of light, many people, especially those less well-off or living in poorer districts, 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. 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.

Spherelight colors

Color	Deep	Light
Blue	Sapphire	Zircon
Red	Ruby	Amethyst & Garnet
Yellow	Topaz	Heliodor
Green	Emerald	--
Grayscale	Smokestone	Diamond

^{[citation needed]}

Spherelight colors (alternative)

Gem type	Color
Sapphire	Deep blue
Smokestone	Deep gray
Ruby	Deep red
Diamond	Light gray
Emerald	Deep green
Garnet	Light red
Zircon	Light blue
Amethyst	Light red
Topaz	Deep yellow
Heliodor	Light yellow

^{[citation needed]}

Spheres as Investiture

A newly discovered usage of spheres is as a source of Stormlight for Surgebinders, such as the members of the newly reforming Knights Radiant and Honorblade wielders like Szeth. Surgebinders draw their powers from Stormlight; in the absence of a highstorm, Surgebinders must find other sources of Stormlight. Due to the ubiquity and inconspicuousness of spheres, they are an excellent source for power for Surgebinders to draw upon. Surgebinders make it a priority to keep a stockpile of infused spheres available to them at all times, whether it be carrying a pouch of spheres on their person, having subordinates or accomplices carry them, or using spheres found in the environment.

Fabrials

Magitech, whoo!

Surgebinders

Magi, whoo!

Shadesmar Currency

Whoo!

Informal Names

Spheres are normally described by their gemstone and denomination. However, instead of the gemstone, spheres are sometimes referred to by color. For example, a ruby mark may be referred to as a "firemark" while a diamond chip may be referred to as a "clearchip." Below is the list of known alternate names.

Other names for gems

Gem type	Chips	Marks
Diamond	Clearchip	Clearmark
Garnet	Bloodchip[citation needed]	Bloodmark
Ruby	Firechip[citation needed]	Firemark
Sapphire	Skychip	Skymark

Notes

This article is still missing information. Please help The Coppermind by expanding it.