To him, the value of gemstones—the consistency of imperial jade, the malleability of gold, the hardness of diamonds and the vibrant pigeon blood that colours rubies—lies in metaphor. The rocks attain their beauty and hardiness through profound violence. Like the scars on his body, his broken teeth and internal haemorrhages, the gemstones too are evidence of transformations at the core. Purged to the surface from faultlines far below, aren’t they scars and clots from the land’s deepest wounds?
