Arkenstone

Popularly known as "The King's Jewel", The Arkenstone of Thrain was a magnificent jewel discovered by King Thorin's grandfather, Thrain, during his reign, in J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit. The great gemstone was discovered beneath the roots of "Lonely Mountain." Since then, the Arkenstone remained as an heirloom with Durin until it was taken from the dwarves when the dragon Smaug captured Erebor.

History & Origins

Out of all the treasures that were found in Erebor, the Arkenstone was most treasured by Thorin Oakensheild. He valued it so much that he was even willing to barter a quarter of all the gold and silver in Smaug's hoard for the gem. In the Hobbit series, the Arkenstone finds its place in the House of Durin as one of the most valued possessions owned by Thror. In the same series, when Smaug attacks Erebor, Thror's first response to the attack is to collect and safeguard the Arkenstone. However, when he tries to escape, he gets attacked by Smaug in the gold hoard, and drops the Arkenstone, losing it in the middle of all the other gold items that Smaug had collected. Thorin stops him from searching for the Arkenstone and instead helps him escape the dragon.

Since Bilbo Baggins knew how much the Arkenstone meant to Thorin, he hides it when he finds the stone lying on the golden bed inside the Lonely Mountain. The Arkenstone comes again into significance in the Hobbit, chapter XVI, "A Thief In The Night" when the dwarves deny giving anything away from their treasure to the kings who had killed Smaug. To this, Bilbo Baggins creeps out the Lonely Mountain and gives them the Arkenstone.

Finally, in the Battle of The Five Armies, when Thorin breathes his last, the Arkenstone is kept on his chest inside his tomb which is situated deep inside the Lonely Mountain. That's how the Arkenstone finally reconciles with the earth [1].
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Intricately carved by the dwarves, the Arkenstone had the power to shine with its inner light. In the darkness, it looked like a small globe shining in its pale light. The specialty of this gemstone was that when external light fell on the stone, the Arkenstone could transform the light particles into ten thousand sparks of white radiance shot with glints of the rainbow. As a gemstone, the Arkenstone was heavy. It was small enough for Bilbo Baggings to hold it in his hands, yet it was big enough that he could not wrap his palms around the Arkenstone.

Etymology

Even though the word "Arken" cannot be found in the modern English language, the name Arkenstone can be loosely translated to "a precious stone." Another interesting theory that is linked to the etymology of the word Arkenstone is its Etymological connection between Arkenstone and Silmarils. According to an old English version of Valinor, the Silmarils were called 'Eorclanstánas'; which also means "a precious stone." Fans speculate that 'Eorclanstánas' was the source for the word "Arkenstone" as the author is a Tolkein himself. Arkenstone is very similar to Silmarils in its name and spirit. It is also widely believed that out of three Silmarils, the Arkenstone seems most likely to be the one that was taken by Maedhros because it gets described as, "taken into the bosom of the earth" when he casts himself into a "gaping chasm filled with flames." [2].​