You’ve seen them. Those little gold boxes sitting on bedside tables or tucked away in dark dungeon corners. You pick one up, thinking it’s just another piece of loot, and suddenly you’re stuck with a quest that won't leave your journal for the next sixty hours of gameplay. "No Stone Unturned" is easily the most polarizing objective in the entire game. Honestly, most players just ignore it. They see the "0/24" counter and immediately decide that life is too short to go hunting for tiny gems across a map the size of a small country. But here is the thing: the Skyrim Stones of Barenziah reward is actually one of the most broken, game-changing buffs in the Elder Scrolls universe if you’re trying to get rich.
It's a grind. No doubt about it.
The quest begins the moment you find an "Unusual Gem." You take it to Vex in the Thieves Guild, she gives you the bad news that there are 23 more, and then you're off. The problem isn't just finding them; it's that they don't stack in your inventory. They just sit there, weighing you down, reminding you of your unfinished business. But if you actually commit to it, you stop being a common mercenary and start becoming the richest person in Skyrim.
The Reality of the Prowler’s Profit
Most people think the reward is just a shiny crown you can't even wear. That's a huge misconception. The real prize is a permanent active effect called Prowler’s Profit.
What does it do? It basically breaks the economy. Once you have it, every single urn, chest, and burial urn in the game starts spitting out flawless diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires like a broken slot machine. We aren't talking about one or two. You’ll walk into a standard Nordic ruin and leave with forty pounds of precious stones. By the time you hit level 40, gold becomes meaningless. You’ll have more money than the East Empire Company.
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The irony is that by the time most players finish the Skyrim Stones of Barenziah hunt, they already have plenty of money. It's a bit of a catch-22. However, if you're doing a dedicated "Thief" build or trying to power-level Smithing, getting this done early is the smartest move you can make. It turns a tedious dungeon crawl into a massive payday every single time.
Where Everyone Gets Stuck
The hunt usually dies in one of three places. First, there's the gem in Proudspire Manor. You have to buy the house in Solitude to get it. That costs 25,000 gold. It’s a steep entry fee for a single quest item. Then there's the one in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. If you decide to "Destroy the Dark Brotherhood" instead of joining them, you can still get the stone, but many players worry they’ve locked themselves out. You haven't. It's still there on the dresser in Astrid’s room.
The real "gotcha" used to be the stone in Thalmor Embassy. In the original 2011 release, if you missed it during the "Diplomatic Immunity" quest, you were basically screwed. Bethesda eventually patched this because it was ruining everyone's completionist runs. Now, the stone is located in Reeking Cave, right near the exit of the embassy escape route. You can go back and grab it whenever you want.
Why the Lore Actually Matters
Barenziah isn't just some random Queen. She's one of the most influential figures in Tamrielic history. The crown itself was a symbol of Mournhold’s power. When it was stolen and the 24 stones were pried off, it wasn't just a robbery; it was a political statement. The Thieves Guild wants it back because it restores their "luck." According to guild lore, the organization started failing precisely because the crown was broken.
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Whether you believe in the mystical luck of the Nightingale or not, the mechanical benefit is undeniable. Karliah and Brynjolf talk a big game about the guild’s prestige, but you’re the one doing the legwork.
The Locations Most People Miss
If you're sitting at 23 stones and pulling your hair out, it’s probably one of these:
- Pinewatch: This is a shack near Falkreath. It looks like nothing. But there’s a secret basement behind a cupboard that leads to a massive bandit sanctuary. The stone is in the treasure room at the very end.
- Ansilvund: Deep in the Burial Chambers. You’ll be fighting through a lot of draugr and ghosts for this one.
- Sunderstone Gorge: A cave filled with mages and fire traps. It’s a nasty place, and the gem is just sitting on an altar near the Word Wall.
- Fellglow Keep: You usually go here during the College of Winterhold questline. If you weren't looking for it, you definitely walked right past it in the workroom.
Strategy for a Fast Completion
Don't just wander around hoping to find them. That’s a recipe for burnout. The most efficient way to handle the Skyrim Stones of Barenziah is to tie them into other questlines.
- Join the College of Winterhold (gets you access to the Arch-Mage’s quarters gem).
- Join the Dark Brotherhood (gets you the gem in the sanctuary).
- Do the "The Man Who Cried Wolf" quest in Solitude (gets you into the Blue Palace and earns you favor to buy Proudspire).
- Clear the Thieves Guild intro so Vex can actually identify the stones.
If you don't do that last step, the stones won't stack in your inventory even after the patch, and they’ll stay labeled as "Unusual Gem." It's annoying. Just talk to Vex early.
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The Crown of Barenziah Finishing Touch
Once you have all 24, you have to go to Tolvald’s Cave. This is a three-level dungeon filled with Falmer and Chaurus. It sucks. Bring plenty of potions. At the end, you find the actual Crown, return to Vex, and she puts the gems back in.
The crown sits on a bust in the Cistern of the Ragged Flagon. You can't wear it. I know, it’s a bummer. There are mods for that if you're on PC or Xbox, but in the vanilla game, it’s a trophy. But again, you aren't doing this for the hat. You're doing it for the "Prowler's Profit" perk.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you're serious about finishing this, stop what you're doing and check your inventory.
- Check the "Obtained" list: Since the game doesn't tell you which ones you have, you need to manually visit the major cities first (Whiterun, Solitude, Windhelm, Riften, Markarth). Most stones are in the Jarls' palaces or the local halls of the dead.
- The Gold Requirement: Save up that 25,000 gold for the Solitude house early. Use the "Halted Stream Camp" transmute spell trick to turn iron ore into gold rings if you're broke.
- Don't wait until level 50: The perk is most useful when you still have things to buy. Aim to finish the hunt by level 25.
- The Multi-Tap Glitch: For those who don't mind a bit of "cheese," there is an old glitch where clicking the stone multiple times very quickly as you pick it up can count as finding 2 or 3 stones. If you do this right, you can finish the quest with only 10 or 12 physical stones in your inventory.
The quest is a mountain. But the view from the top—where every chest contains a fortune—is worth the climb. Get to the Thieves Guild, talk to Vex, and start checking those palaces. Once you start seeing those flawless diamonds appearing in every random urn in a tomb, you'll never play a "poor" character again.