I havent been kept awake by marbles. Im new to the hobby, and what I keep thinking is how much human societies have valued gemstones throughout history, and yet I dont think gems can hold a candle to the beauty of marbles. When we see a diamond, we connect with all the learned cultural programming surrounding diamonds. They are mined from the earth at great expense, they're the hardest substance known to man, etc etc, and that helps convince us of its worth and beauty. But I think that if a person who never heard of diamonds or marbles was shown a $1000 diamond and the marble I got for $3.50 last week off ebay and asked which is more beautiful, the diamond wouldnt stand a chance!
