Introduction

Functionless on their own, gems possess great power when utilized with a weapon, shield, or helm, bestowing potent magical enchantments upon the item and its wearer. Socketed armor is added in the Expansion, but all items have identical stats in either armor or helms. Gems, once socketed, add special bonuses to the items. Check the stats pages for specifics.

There are seven different types of gems: Amethysts, Diamonds, Emeralds, Rubies, Sapphires, Skull Gems, and Topazes. All have different effects depending on what sort of item they are "socketed" in. There are five levels of quality for gems: from worst to best they are, chipped, flawed, normal, flawless, and perfect.

Gems can not be bought, only found, though this changed several times during development. Better quality gems are found as you progress in the game.

In Diablo II the system is rigid: Chipped gems in Acts 1 and 2 and Flawed in Acts 3 and 4, with very rare exceptions of monsters (High Council usually) dropping Normals. In Nightmare and Hell all gems dropped are normal.
In the Expansion there is more variety. Gem quality dropped is based on Mlvl, and though it progresses at about the same rate, you can find some Normal gems in Acts 4 and 5, with occasional Flawless. Nightmare and Hell are the same, Normal and some Flawless.

Socketed Items

Only weapons, helms, and shields can have sockets, with body armor added to the list in the Expansion. No boots, gloves, belts, or jewelry will ever be socketed, not even Uniques.

The number of sockets is fixed in Diablo II, all helms have 2, and all shields and weapons have 3, unless the item is only 2 spaces tall in inventory (bucklers, daggers) in which case it has but two sockets.

     In the Expansion items vary a lot more in sockets.  Helms can have from 1-4, Body armor 1-4, weapons 1-6, and shields 1-4.  Full details elsewhere in our Items section.

Once a gem is inserted into a socket, it is there forever, and can't be upgraded in quality, so be sure you want to put a gem in before you do.

In Diablo II only normal items are socketed, and you can find or buy them.

In the Expansion you can only buy magical equipment, so can never buy anything socketed from the NPCs (unless someone else in your game sells a socketed item, and you then buy it from the NPC). Sockets can be found on normal or superior items, and can be made in magical, rare, unique, and set items, either with Horadric Cube recipes, or as an Act Five quest reward. The maximum number of sockets is never more than the spaces an item takes up in inventory, and you can only get 1 socket in Rares, and only one or sometimes two in Sets and Uniques. Two or sometimes three in magical items.

Upgrading Gems

Three gems of the same type combine in the Horadric Cube to upgrade one level of quality.

Gem shrines are found only rarely, but they are worth a click, as they'll upgrade one gem from your inventory one level. It's best to carry around a flawless gem of whatever type you want upgraded and be sure it's the only gem in your inventory when you click the shrine. If you don't have any gems, or only have perfect gems, one random chipped gem will be dropped.