Ever picked up an Unusual Gem and wondered why it feels like the start of something bigger? That’s your first Stone of Barenziah, and there are 24 in total. Collecting the full set is one of Skyrim’s most satisfying treasure hunts.
Don’t worry if you’re new to this (I’ve got you). The stones are scattered from Windhelm bedrooms to troll-infested caves, so let’s map out exactly where to go.
Stones of Barenziah Overview: What You’re Hunting
The numbers tell an interesting story: 24 stones, each worth only 200 gold on its own. Together they form a set worth far more than the sum of its parts.
- Quest Name: No Stone Unturned. It starts when you find any stone (listed in your inventory as an Unusual Gem) and have it appraised.
- Who Appraises It: Vex, at the Ragged Flagon in Riften. You may need to be a full Thieves Guild member before she’ll talk (the Guild is Skyrim’s thief faction, based in Riften’s sewers).
- Stone Count: 24 total, found in dungeons, caves, palaces, and private homes.
- Bedlam Job Trick: Steal a stone while on The Bedlam Job in the hold where it sits, and it counts as worth 500 or more for that quest.
- Lore Note: Lore-wise, the stones and the Crown of Barenziah reference Barenziah, former lover of Tiber Septim and queen of Mournhold.
Worth noting: guides number the stones differently, so I’m grouping them by region instead. That way you can plan one efficient route.
Step-by-Step: Collecting All 24 Stones
- Step 1: Grab any stone and get it appraised. Take it to Vex at the Ragged Flagon to officially start No Stone Unturned.
- Step 2: Hit Windhelm. In the House of Clan Shatter-Shield, go upstairs to the first bedroom on the left and check the bookshelf. In the Palace of the Kings, take the first door on the left upstairs and follow the hall to Wuunferth the Unliving’s quarters. The stone sits on a table at the end.
- Step 3: Visit the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. Go down the stairs and left of the entrance to Astrid’s room, and look on her dresser.
- Step 4: Head to Solitude. In the Blue Palace, check the shelf in Jarl Elisif the Fair’s quarters. Proudspire Manor has another in the master bedroom (you’ll need to buy it, which is covered in the Pro Tips below).
- Step 5: Work through Whiterun. Jorrvaskr has one in the living quarters at the far right, in Kodlak Whitemane’s bedroom. There’s another in the Hall of the Dead (the Whiterun Catacombs) and one in Dragonsreach’s Jarl quarters.
That’s a lot of stones from just four cities. Time to get your hands dirty.
- Step 6: Clear the dungeons with distinctive spots. In Ansilvund Burial Chambers, the stone is on the table at the back of the final room. In Stony Creek Cave, follow the path on the right before the large pool with one bandit. It sits on a table near the alchemy lab in the bandit wizard’s cavern.
- Step 7: Visit Sunderstone Gorge, where the stone rests on the altar in front of the Word Wall next to two dead bodies. (A Word Wall is where you learn Dragon Shouts, if you’re new to this.)
- Step 8: Go to Hob’s Fall Cave and defeat the frost troll. Go left around the corner to the far side, where a lighted cove leads you to the stone next to a dead body.
- Step 9: Check the Pinewatch bandit sanctuary. One guide places a stone behind a locked door on the right, in a room with a single bandit and several empty draugr sarcophagi. It sits on a shelf to your right.
- Step 10: Clear the rest of the list: Reeking Cave, Dainty Sload, Rannveig’s Fast, Dead Crone Rock, Markarth’s Treasury House, the Understone Keep Dwemer Museum, Black-Briar Lodge, Mistveil Keep’s Jarl chambers, Fellglow Keep, the College of Winterhold’s Arch-Mage’s Quarters, and the Yngvild throne room.
- Step 11: Return to Vex with your full set and the Crown of Barenziah, and she’ll wrap up the quest.
The data speaks for itself: roughly half of these are in homes and palaces. That makes them perfect for stealth-minded players.
Rewards and Benefits
- Prowler’s Profit: Completing the quest gives you this passive effect. It greatly increases your chance of finding multiple precious gems in chests, burial urns, corpses, and similar containers.
- Gem Yield: A single container can often give 2-4 gems of any type, and they tend to be high value.
- Set Value: Individually each stone is only 200 gold. Finishing the set is where the real payoff is.
- Lore Payoff: You get to hold a piece of Tamrielic history tied to Barenziah’s legend.
Pro Tips
- Buying Proudspire Manor: First finish The Man Who Cried Wolf by talking to Falk Firebeard in the Blue Palace. Then talk to Jarl Elisif to buy property in Solitude. The house costs 25,000 gold.
- Combine Trips: Pair a Blue Palace visit with Proudspire Manor in the same Solitude trip. It saves a lot of fast travel.
- Stealth First: Palace and home stones are in other people’s rooms, so sneak in and check bedrooms and shelves first. (Pro tip: lockpick before you’re spotted, not after.)
- Bedlam Bonus: If you’re running The Bedlam Job anyway, snag a stone in the right hold to knock out that requirement at the same time.
- Cheat Room Shortcut: One Reddit user notes the cheat room has a button on the north wall’s western side labeled to get all stones of Barenziah. It pulls them out of the world and into your inventory. Worth noting: console use can disable achievements on PC.
- Map Mods: Some players mention a mod that marks stone locations on your map. It may not work on every setup, so check before you rely on it.
Why the Stones of Barenziah Matter
This quest nudges you to explore places you’d otherwise skip, like Wuunferth’s quarters and a troll-guarded cave. Every stone is a small reward for curiosity, and the Prowler’s Profit perk pays you back long after you finish.
Lore-wise, it’s also a neat thread connecting Skyrim to the wider Elder Scrolls world through Barenziah’s story. Collecting all 24 is a trip through Skyrim’s geography and history in one questline.
So which stone is giving you trouble, and which one was the most surprising place you found? Drop your answer in the comments and I’ll help you track down any holdouts.
