Skyrim No Stone Unturned: Complete Guide to Finding All 24 Unusual Gems in 2026

Ask any Skyrim veteran about their most frustrating questline, and “No Stone Unturned” will come up every single time. It’s legendary for all the wrong reasons: 24 tiny, sparkly gems scattered across the entire province, most of them tucked into corners you’d never think to check unless you’re the kind of player who loots every single urn in every dungeon. But here’s the kicker, actually finish this nightmare, and you’ll unlock one of the best passive perks in the game for wealth generation.

This guide breaks down every unusual gem location, walks through the entire questline from start to finish, and shows exactly how to claim your reward. Whether you’re hunting down your first stone or desperately trying to find that last gem at number 23, this complete walkthrough will save you hours of backtracking.

What Is the No Stone Unturned Quest?

Quest Overview and Rewards

No Stone Unturned is a miscellaneous quest that tasks players with collecting all 24 Stones of Barenziah (listed in-game as Unusual Gems) scattered throughout Skyrim. Once you pick up your first stone, the quest activates and directs you to identify what you’ve found. The actual quest name comes from reassembling the Crown of Barenziah, a legendary artifact belonging to the former queen of Morrowind.

The quest has no level requirement, no prerequisite missions, and can be started at any point in your playthrough. It’s entirely optional, but completing it grants the Prowler’s Profit perk, a permanent passive ability that dramatically increases the amount of gems found in chests, urns, and other containers across the game.

Unlike most collectible quests in RPGs, Skyrim doesn’t give you quest markers for individual stones. You’re flying blind unless you use console commands, install a mod, or follow a guide like this one.

Why This Quest Is Worth Completing

Let’s be real: No Stone Unturned is a pain. But Prowler’s Profit is legitimately game-changing if you care about gold at all.

With the perk active, nearly every container you open will shower you with flawless diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and other high-value gemstones. A single dungeon run can net you 5,000–10,000 gold just from gems alone. If you’re playing on Legendary difficulty where resources are tight, or if you’re building a player home and need cash for furnishings, Prowler’s Profit is a godsend.

The perk also stacks with other loot-boosting effects and works retroactively on respawning containers. That means every bandit camp, Dwemer ruin, and Draugr crypt becomes a gemstone factory. For completionists, it’s one of the few quests that offers a reward worth the tedium.

How to Start No Stone Unturned

Finding Your First Unusual Gem

The quest begins the moment you pick up any Unusual Gem in Skyrim. These gems look like glowing, pinkish-purple stones with a distinct shimmer effect, making them slightly easier to spot than regular loot, though “easier” is relative when they’re sitting on a bookshelf in a dimly lit room.

Some of the earliest and most accessible gems are found in Jarl Elisif’s quarters in Solitude (on her bedside table), the Hall of the Dead in Whiterun (on a shelf near the altar), and the Thalmor Embassy during the main quest “Diplomatic Immunity.” If you miss the Embassy gem during that mission, you’ll need to glitch your way back in or use console commands, so grab it while you’re there.

Once you have a stone in your inventory, open your journal. You’ll see a miscellaneous objective: “Bring the Unusual Gem to an appraiser.” This directs you to Vex in Riften’s Thieves Guild.

Talking to Vex in the Ragged Flagon

Head to Riften and make your way into the Ratway, the sewer network beneath the city. Navigate through the tunnels (watch for bandits) until you reach the Ragged Flagon, the Thieves Guild’s underground tavern. You don’t need to be a member of the Guild to talk to Vex, but you’ll need to at least enter the area.

Find Vex, one of the Guild’s fences and quest-givers, and show her the gem. She’ll identify it as one of the Stones of Barenziah and mention that the full set once adorned a crown. She’ll tell you to bring her all 24 stones so she can reassemble the artifact.

From this point forward, your journal will track how many unusual gems you’ve collected (e.g., “Stones of Barenziah: 1/24”), but it won’t mark their locations on your map. You’re on your own.

All 24 Unusual Gem Locations

Whiterun Hold Locations

1. Dragonsreach, Jarl’s Quarters (Whiterun)

Head upstairs in Dragonsreach and enter the Jarl’s private quarters. The gem is on a small table near the bed. You’ll need to sneak or pick the lock if you’re not friendly with the Jarl.

2. Jorrvaskr (Whiterun)

Inside the Companions’ mead hall, head to Kodlak Whitemane’s living quarters (downstairs). The gem is on a nightstand near his bed.

3. Hall of the Dead (Whiterun)

Enter the Hall of the Dead through the catacombs. The gem is on a shelf in the main altar room, near some burial urns. Easy to miss if you’re not looking up.

Windhelm and Eastmarch Hold Locations

4. Palace of the Kings, Jarl’s Quarters (Windhelm)

In Ulfric Stormcloak’s bedroom (upstairs in the Palace), the gem sits on a small table near the bed. You’ll need to pick a Master-level lock or complete the Civil War questline for access.

5. House of Clan Shatter-Shield (Windhelm)

This house is in the Gray Quarter. The gem is upstairs in one of the bedrooms, on a dresser. The door is usually unlocked during the day.

6. Stony Creek Cave

Southeast of Windhelm, near the Eastmarch-Rift border. The gem is inside the bandit hideout, sitting on a table near the back of the cave. Clear the bandits first.

Solitude and Haafingar Hold Locations

7. Blue Palace, Jarl Elisif’s Quarters (Solitude)

One of the easiest early-game gems. In Elisif’s bedroom (upstairs in the Blue Palace), the gem is on her bedside table. Sneak in at night or use Invisibility.

8. Proudspire Manor (Solitude)

You must purchase Proudspire Manor (25,000 gold) to access this gem. It’s upstairs in the master bedroom, on a nightstand. Expensive, but unavoidable for completionists who’ve explored various Skyrim shrines and accumulated gold.

9. Thalmor Embassy

During “Diplomatic Immunity,” the gem is in Elenwen’s Solar (upstairs bedroom) on a nightstand. Do not miss this. If you skip it, you’ll need console commands or glitches to re-enter the Embassy later.

Markarth and The Reach Locations

10. Treasury House (Markarth)

Part of the “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine” quest. The gem is in a locked display case in the Treasury House. You can pick the lock or grab it during the quest.

11. Understone Keep, Jarl’s Quarters (Markarth)

In the Jarl’s bedroom (private quarters in Understone Keep), the gem is on a nightstand. Sneak in or wait until you’re allowed access.

12. Dead Crone Rock

A hagraven tower in the far western Reach. The gem is at the very top of the tower, on an altar near the boss chest. Bring fire resistance, the hagravens hit hard. Many players tackling difficult locations like Volskygge will appreciate the similar challenge here.

13. Nchuand-Zel (Markarth)

This Dwemer ruin is accessible through Understone Keep. The gem is in a Falmer-infested area, on a table in one of the side rooms. Watch for Chaurus.

Riften and The Rift Locations

14. Mistveil Keep, Jarl’s Quarters (Riften)

In Jarl Laila Law-Giver’s bedroom, the gem is on a nightstand. Pick the lock or earn her favor to gain access.

15. Black-Briar Lodge

Southeast of Riften. Maven Black-Briar’s personal residence. The gem is upstairs in a bedroom, on a dresser. Expect some locks and guards.

16. Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary (near Falkreath)

Technically in Falkreath Hold, but closest to Riften. During or after the Dark Brotherhood questline, the gem is in Astrid’s room, on a nightstand.

17. Ansilvund

A Nordic ruin northeast of Riften. The gem is deep inside, in the burial chambers section, sitting on a table near some Draugr. According to guides on Game8, this is one of the most commonly missed gems due to its placement in a side room.

Other Hold Locations

18. Hob’s Fall Cave (Winterhold Hold)

North of Winterhold, on the coast. The gem is inside the necromancer lair, on a table in the main chamber. Clear the necromancers first.

19. College of Winterhold, Arch-Mage’s Quarters

You must become Arch-Mage (complete the College of Winterhold questline) to access these quarters. The gem is on a dresser in the bedroom. No way around this, you have to do the questline.

20. Yngvild (Winterhold Hold)

A frozen barrow northwest of Dawnstar. The gem is in the throne room area, on a table near the boss. Draugr and ghosts patrol this dungeon.

21. Rannveig’s Fast (Whiterun Hold, near Morthal)

A small fort occupied by a lone mage and his ghost “pet.” The gem is in the basement jail area, on a shelf. Quick grab if you can sneak past the ghost.

22. Pinewatch (Falkreath Hold)

A bandit hideout south of Falkreath. The gem is in the bandit leader’s room, deep in the basement section. You’ll access this during the Thieves Guild radiant quest “Pinewatch” or explore it independently.

23. Dainty Sload (ship near Solitude)

A wrecked ship just offshore from the East Empire Company docks. The gem is below deck, in the captain’s cabin, on a small table. Swim out or fast-travel to the docks and walk along the shore.

24. Sunderstone Gorge (Falkreath Hold)

West of Bloated Man’s Grotto. The gem is inside the necromancer lair, in the final chamber on a table near the boss chest. Similar to dungeons you’d encounter during Touching the Sky, expect tough enemies and tight corridors.

Tips for Tracking Down Missing Gems

Using Quest Markers and Mods

Vanilla Skyrim doesn’t add quest markers for individual unusual gems, which is why this quest is so notorious. Fortunately, the modding community has come to the rescue.

On PC, “Stones of Barenziah Quest Markers” is the most popular mod for this. It adds map markers for every gem location, turning a 10-hour scavenger hunt into a 2-hour checklist. The mod is available on Nexus Mods and is compatible with the Special Edition and Anniversary Edition.

For Xbox and PlayStation users, similar mods exist in the in-game mod browser. Search for “Barenziah” or “Unusual Gem” and sort by popularity. These mods don’t disable achievements on Xbox (as of 2026), but PS4/PS5 versions have limited mod support due to Sony’s restrictions.

If you’re playing unmodded and stuck, you can use console commands on PC. Open the console with the tilde key (~) and type help "Stone of Barenziah" to get the item ID, then use player.additem [ID] 24 to add all stones directly. This skips the hunt entirely but still allows you to complete the quest.

Common Locations Players Miss

Even with a guide, certain gems slip through the cracks. Here are the most commonly missed unusual gems:

Thalmor Embassy: If you didn’t grab this during “Diplomatic Immunity,” you’re in trouble. The Embassy is locked after the quest unless you use glitches or commands.

College of Winterhold (Arch-Mage’s Quarters): Many players forget this because they either skip the College questline or don’t realize the quarters become accessible only after becoming Arch-Mage.

Proudspire Manor: You need to drop 25,000 gold to buy the house first. New players often overlook this until late-game.

Dead Crone Rock and Ansilvund: Both are off the beaten path and easy to miss entirely if you’re not systematically clearing dungeons. Twinfinite’s Skyrim guides note that Ansilvund’s gem is in a side room that many players skip.

Stony Creek Cave: It’s a random bandit cave with no major quest attached, so unless you’re a dungeon completionist, you might never set foot inside.

If you’re at 23/24 and losing your mind, re-check the Thalmor Embassy, College, and Proudspire Manor first. Those three account for 70% of “missing gem” forum posts.

Returning the Barenziah’s Crown

Completing the Crown of Barenziah

Once you’ve collected all 24 stones, return to Vex in the Ragged Flagon. She’ll be impressed (as much as Vex ever shows emotion) and will take the stones from your inventory. She’ll reassemble them into the Crown of Barenziah, a unique artifact that… you can’t actually keep.

Yeah, Vex holds onto the crown. It gets displayed in the Thieves Guild’s cistern vault as a trophy, but you don’t get to wear it or sell it. The crown itself has no gameplay function, it’s purely cosmetic. The real reward comes next.

Claiming Your Reward from Vex

Vex will grant you the Prowler’s Profit perk immediately upon reassembling the crown. There’s no additional dialogue or follow-up quest. The perk is automatically added to your character and is permanent.

You’ll also receive a leveled amount of gold (usually around 2,000–5,000) as a direct payment from Vex. It’s a nice bonus, but the real prize is Prowler’s Profit.

If you’re a member of the Thieves Guild, this is also a nice capstone to your involvement with the faction. If you tackled the quest independently without joining the Guild, Vex will still reward you, no membership required. Players who’ve delved into Skyrim lore will appreciate the historical significance of Barenziah’s crown, as she was a key figure in Morrowind’s history.

Prowler’s Profit Perk Explained

What Prowler’s Profit Does

The Prowler’s Profit perk is a hidden passive ability that massively boosts the number of precious gems found in containers. Once active, nearly every chest, urn, burial urn, and boss chest you open will contain multiple flawless gems, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and amethysts.

The effect is retroactive and applies to respawning containers. That bandit camp you cleared last week? When it respawns in 30 in-game days, those chests will now be loaded with gems. The same goes for Draugr crypts, Dwemer ruins, and Falmer lairs. Even random loot in barrels and sacks has a chance to include gems.

Gems are lightweight (0.1 to 0.2 weight each) and sell for 500–1,500 gold apiece for flawless variants. A single dungeon run can easily net 10–20 flawless gems, translating to 10,000+ gold per clear. This makes Prowler’s Profit one of the best passive income sources in the game, rivaling alchemy and smithing loops.

The perk also affects containers added by DLCs and mods, so Dawnguard, Dragonborn, and community content all benefit from the boost.

Best Ways to Maximize Your New Wealth

With Prowler’s Profit active, here’s how to turn those gems into serious gold:

Invest in Speech perks: The Investor perk (Speech 70) and Fence perk (Thieves Guild) let you sell to more merchants and increase their available gold. Master Trader (Speech 100) gives every merchant 1,000 extra gold, making it easier to offload your haul.

Farm high-density dungeons: Dwemer ruins like Mzulft and Nchuand-Zel have tons of containers. Clear them, wait 30 days, and repeat. Each run should yield 15–30 flawless gems with Prowler’s Profit.

Combine with the Lord Stone: While the Lord Stone primarily enhances combat defense, pairing it with a survivability-focused build lets you tackle Legendary difficulty dungeons more safely, maximizing gem farming efficiency.

Use Transmute Ore (optional): If you have the Transmute Ore spell, you can turn iron ore into gold ore, craft gold jewelry, then socket your flawless gems into rings and necklaces. An unenchanted gold diamond necklace sells for ~2,500 gold. Enchant it with Fortify Sneak or Fortify Carry Weight, and it jumps to 3,500–5,000.

Hit Thieves Guild fences: Once you’ve restored the Thieves Guild to its former glory, fences have 4,000 gold each and reset daily. With four fences available, that’s 16,000 gold per day in merchant capacity. Game Rant’s coverage of Skyrim economy exploits highlights Prowler’s Profit as one of the most legitimate late-game income sources.

Common Bugs and How to Fix Them

Missing Gems That Won’t Appear

Skyrim’s ten-year-old code means bugs are inevitable, and No Stone Unturned is no exception. The most common issue: a gem simply doesn’t spawn where it’s supposed to.

Proudspire Manor and Hjerim (Windhelm): If you purchase these homes and they’re upgraded via stewards, sometimes the interior resets and the gem vanishes. This is a known bug on all platforms. The fix: reload a save from before you upgraded the house, grab the gem, then upgrade.

Thalmor Embassy: If you didn’t grab the gem during “Diplomatic Immunity,” the Embassy locks permanently. On PC, you can re-enter using console commands (tcl for no-clipping through the door). On console, you’re out of luck unless you reload a much earlier save.

College of Winterhold: If you complete the College questline but the Arch-Mage’s Quarters door remains locked, it’s a progression bug. Reload a save from before completing “The Eye of Magnus” and try again. If that fails, console commands are your only option.

Console Commands and Workarounds

PC players can bypass bugs entirely using console commands. Here’s how:

1. Open the console with the tilde key (~).
2. Type help "Stone of Barenziah" to get the item ID (usually 0009DFBB).
3. Type player.additem 0009DFBB 24 to add all 24 stones directly to your inventory.
4. Return to Vex and complete the quest normally.

This won’t break the quest or disable achievements. The game treats console-added stones the same as collected ones.

If you’re stuck at 23/24 and don’t want to use commands, install the Stones of Barenziah Quest Markers mod. It’ll highlight which gem you’re missing.

For console players (Xbox/PlayStation), mods are your best bet. The “Stones of Barenziah – Dawnguard” mod fixes several spawn bugs introduced by the Dawnguard DLC and is available on both Xbox and (limited) PS4/PS5 mod libraries.

Conclusion

No Stone Unturned is the kind of quest that separates casual players from absolute madlads. It’s tedious, frustrating, and offers zero quest markers, but the payoff is real. Prowler’s Profit turns every dungeon into a gem mine and solves gold problems permanently.

Whether you’re hunting down unusual gems for the first time or finally tracking down that 24th stone after three playthroughs, this guide should get you to the finish line. Grab those stones, reassemble the crown, and enjoy never worrying about money again. For more Skyrim deep dives, check out the full Skyrim coverage for builds, questlines, and hidden mechanics.