Pearl (Steven Universe)

"♫ I will fight in the name of Rose Quartz, and everything that she believed in!♫"

- Pearl singing about her reason of protecting the Earth.

"This is not a Gem-controlled planet!"

- Pearl defending the Earth.

"That's right! I am a pearl!"

- Pearl responding to the comment of Peridot

Pearl is one of the three deuteragonists of the Cartoon series Steven Universe. She is one of the Crystal Gems, a group of extraterrestrial humanoids devoted to protecting the Earth. As of "Together Alone" she is poofed by Yellow Diamond along with Amethyst and Garnet, but she is eventually regenerated in the Season 5 half-hour finale special, "Change Your Mind" along with Amethyst and Garnet.

Appearance
Pearl has a slender, thin build, ivory skin, sky-blue eyes, a pointed nose and thin lips. She is quite tall for a non-fusion Gem; towering over Amethyst, Ruby, Sapphire, Peridot, and Steven alike. She is nearly equal in height (with hair) to Garnet's chin. Her hair has a peach-pink color and resembles a pixie-cut in the front, while in the back, her hair leads to a point. Pearl is usually drawn without eyelashes or pupils, although they have been seen in some close-ups. Pearl's gemstone is located in the middle of her forehead and has no facets.

1980s-90s regeneration
In "Story for Steven", "We Need to Talk", "Greg the Babysitter", and "A Single Pale Rose", episodes that flash back to around the 1980s, Pearl wore a cropped ruffle mesh capelet with a drapped sleeveless and shoulderless heart-shaped aqua top, short lavender leggings, salmon pink leg warmers, and pale blue ballet flats. Her hair was also a little longer, somewhat resembling a bob.

Pre-Regeneration (debut)
Pearl wore a sleeveless, sky blue top that had a translucent chest and transferred into a transparent silk ballet skirt around her waist. Pearl wore short salmon pink-colored leggings, light-green socks, and slip-on ballet flats to match.

Post-Regeneration (previous)
From "Steven the Sword Fighter" to "Together Alone", Pearl wears an aqua-blue turtleneck tunic-leotard sleeveless  with a small gold star on the center of her chest and a lighter satin sash ribbon around her upper waist. Her leggings are amber-colored. Pearl wears pink socks with pale blue slip-on ballet flats (as described in the "Guide to the Crystal Gems").

Second Post-Regeneration (current)
As of "Change Your Mind", Pearl now wears a blue tank-top with an aqua-blue jacket with a yellow star on the back, which are the same colors of her tunic-leotard from her previous form. She also wears navy blue-colored leggings resembling jeans (similar to Steven's) and pink slip-on ballet flats.

Other
In "The Answer", "Your Mother and Mine", and "Now We're Only Falling Apart", which flash back to the Rebellion, Pearl wears a translucent top (with the top-half pink and the bottom-half teal), short pink leggings, and orange boots. Her hair resembles what it looks like currently, except longer.

In "A Single Pale Rose" and "Now We're Only Falling Apart", which flash back to the time she served Pink Diamond, Pearl wears a dress resembling Pink Diamond's. The top half has puffy blue shoulders, an amber colored top with a V neck, a diamond-shaped cutout at the bottom, and a light yellow trim along the bottom. The bottom half has a pink skirt with transparent drapes over it and pale blue ballet flats. Her hairstyle is a mix between its style during the Rebellion and its style in the 80s.

Personality
"Pearl is like a Samurai. She is, like, incredibly precise."

- Rebecca Sugar Pearl is a perfectionist knowledgeable on a plethora of topics that values organization. Pearl has a penchant for symmetry (going so far as to impale M.C. Bear Bear to maintain the symmetry of a pile of appliances and school supplies) and a high attention to detail. She is also shown to be kind and caring.

Despite her perfectionism and occasional bragging, Pearl suffers from low self-esteem. In "Friend Ship", she admits she is very dependent on others to validate her, which loops into a strong inferiority complex. According to Amethyst in "Reformed", she needs everyone's constant approval to feel secure. Without anyone to tell her what to do or to depend on her, Pearl feels lost without meaning or value. Pearl admits she often feels extremely weak and/or useless when compared to others who appear better than her, going so far as to describe herself as ineffective on her own; always in need of a leader she can follow. Her self-deprecating tendencies stem from the Homeworld caste values, where pearls are viewed as property rather than Gems. This has led her to take drastic actions to prove herself — though, thanks to Garnet's encouragement in "Friend Ship", she has started to take initiatives instead of letting other's words define Pearl herself. It appears Pearl has taken this to her heart, as she asserted herself against Peridot when she treated Pearl in a degrading tone. Pearl even goes as far as physically punching Peridot to show that she is an individual, not a piece of property.

Pearl is easily flustered and overwhelmed when confronted by the unknown or when her plans fail, which can lead to her judgement being clouded or cause her to act on impulse instead of rational thinking. Her inner turmoil over her love for Rose (and her subsequent absence) has made Pearl lash out at Steven and the Crystal Gems more than once. Her fierce desire to feel "strong" and have more victories as a Crystal Gem even caused her to betray Garnet's trust and basic principles so they could keep forming Sardonyx. When realizing how much she hurt others, Pearl will apologize and try as hard as she can to set things right, working hard to counteract the damage she may have inflicted.

Out of all the Crystal Gems, Pearl is the most poorly adjusted to life on Earth, being unaware of human social conventions and culture, such as jokes, games, arcades, food, and birthday parties. Pearl has expressed a great desire to leave Earth in "Space Race", going so far as to risk her and Steven's lives. Pearl also has a pessimistic view of humanity, as evidenced by her statement in "Keep Beach City Weird". Though, in "Political Power", she claimed to have been around during the millennium when humans lived without any light, and was aware that they used to hunt and gather. She appeared quite surprised that they did not do that anymore. In "Last One Out of Beach City", Pearl takes her turn at trying to build a normal, human social life in the hopes of impressing Steven and Amethyst, voluntarily joining them in going to a show, and drinking beverages. By the end Pearl even approached the mysterious girl that had appeared repeatedly throughout the episode, whom Pearl seemed infatuated with.

"Humans just live short, boring, insignificant lives, so they make up stories to feel like they're a part of something bigger. They want to blame all the world's problems on some single enemy they can fight, instead of a complex network of interrelated forces beyond anyone's control."

- Pearl in "Keep Beach City Weird"

Despite her pessimistic perspective of humans, Pearl is extremely dedicated to her cause in protecting humanity more or less out of her love, loyalty, and admiration for Rose Quartz. She does, however, find certain aspects of Earth rather amazing. Regardless of her poor understanding of human society, she is able to pay for the Cookie Cats Amethyst and Garnet steal in "Gem Glow", drive Greg's van in "Ocean Gem", and repair it in "House Guest". She also watches the New Year's Eve fireworks show in "Maximum Capacity".

In "Back to the Barn", it is revealed that pearls are not created for fighting, but for following orders. However, Pearl trained to fight with Rose. Peridot also describes pearls as accessories that are meant to be put on display as status symbols and to perform menial tasks, although Pearl's appearance fits this standard.

Aside from her pessimism and perfectionism, Pearl is usually polite and reserved to others; she keeps everything set orderly and tidy. Her obsessive attention to tidiness is explained in "Back to the Barn" when it is revealed that pearls are made-to-order servants and are created to "hold stuff" for their masters.

Abilities
"I am a Gem of many talents. A dedication to fact is just one of them."

- Pearl in "Historical Friction" Pearl possesses traits and abilities that are common among all Gems.

Throughout the series, Pearl has been shown to have knowledge in multiple aspects of technology, from fixing Greg's Van, making a semi-functioning spacecraft out of leftover machine parts, creating a functional robot to battle Peridot, to fixing Peridot's Escape Pod and even reverse-engineering it to track Peridot's Warp Pad movements. In "Back to the Barn", it is implied that Pearl's engineering skills are mostly self-taught much to Peridot's astonishment. Her engineering and constructing abilities rival Peridot's considering the tie between them in the robots challenge. Despite this talent, she cannot craft or upgrade weaponry and has to rely on Bismuth for that task.

While Pearl is lithe and quite graceful, she has a surprising resilience to injury. In "Coach Steven", she took a headbutt from Sugilite and could still move, given Steven's encouragement. In "On the Run", she took an explosion from Amethyst's whip directly and recovered almost immediately after being briefly immobilized and scratched.

In "Historical Friction", she mentions that one of her talents is a dedication to fact. She has shown this skill in the past while displaying examples using her holograms. Her immortality and attention to detail have allowed her to recall historical events as they truly happened, such as the beginning of the Crystal Gems' rebellion and the founding of Beach City.

Fusions

 * When fused with Amethyst, they form Opal.
 * When fused with Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond, they form Rainbow Quartz.
 * When fused with Ruby and Sapphire (or Garnet), they form Sardonyx.
 * When fused with Ruby, Sapphire (or Garnet), and Amethyst, they form Alexandrite.
 * When fused with Steven, they form Rainbow Quartz 2.0.

Skillset

 * Spear Proficiency: Through her many years of training, Pearl can summon her weapon, a pearlescent spear. Pearl is very skilled in the art of spear-wielding and goes in tandem with her pattern of fighting that involves formal (Ballet) dancing. She moves gracefully and swiftly, attacking with grace and poise. She stays calm and collected during melee battles, duels, and skirmishes. Pearl also has great skill in throwing her spear. This was proven in "Giant Woman", and "Beach Party". As of "Bismuth", Pearl's spear has been upgraded to be able to turn into a trident.
 * Dual Wielding: Pearl is capable of wielding dual spears in battle, implying she is ambidextrous.
 * Energy Projection: Pearl can fire arrow-like blasts of energy from the tip of her spear. This can be done as rapid-fire or charged to unleash a more powerful blast. In Attack the Light, this ability is named "Fireball".
 * Swordsmanship: Pearl possesses expert knowledge and skill with a sword. For one on one dueling, Pearl's preferred weapon is a straight-bladed saber. Pearl's parries are tight and minimalist; her offense is a pattern that is specific to the environment. This pattern consists of lunges, thrusts, and horizontal slashes.
 * Engineering: On multiple occasions, Pearl has demonstrated a high level of skill in mechanical engineering, ranging from reverse-engineering Flask Robonoids to constructing a combat-ready robot on short notice. She also constructed a rocket in an attempt to leave Earth, proving herself able to compete with an "expert" mechanic such as Peridot.
 * Gem-tech Interfacing: While not to the extent of Peridot, she is first shown in "Jail Break" and later shown in "Friend Ship", to be able to interface and control Gem technology such as the Gem Warship and, to a greater extent, Peridot's escape pod. When she interfaces with Gem-tech, her eyes become overlapped with what looks like programming code.
 * Piloting: Pearl has been shown to be able to fly Homeworld ships just like Peridot, Doc, and Navy. For example, Pearl piloted a Gem Warship in "Jail Break" and a Roaming Eye in "Bubbled".
 * Driving: Pearl is the only known Gem to be able to drive a car, as she has driven Greg's Van before. In "Last One Out of Beach City", she is shown to be an extremely skilled racer.
 * Water-Walking: Pearl can walk on water, an ability she shares with Opal, Lion, and Lapis Lazuli.
 * Photokinesis: Pearl can use her gemstone to light up dark places. Garnet, Eyeball, Doc, and Peridot share the same ability.
 * Levitation: Pearl temporarily levitates to battle Sugilite in "Coach Steven". She shares this ability with the other Crystal Gems including Steven.
 * Item Summon: Pearl can materialize different items out of her gemstone. The three items summoned so far were police tape in "Lars and the Cool Kids", the Mirror in "Mirror Gem" and bandages in "Sworn to the Sword".
 * Mentoring: according to the Steven Universe: Too Cool for School comic, Pearl homeschools Steven effective enough to make him score perfect mark in human conventional school.

Unique Abilities

 * Holographic Projection: Pearl can project holographic images from her gemstone, which she uses mainly as a visual aid when lecturing Steven. While most of the holograms seem to be intangible, some, like Holo-Pearl, can interact with solid matter. Furthermore, the holograms can function without Pearl's presence up to two weeks, implying that her holograms can live independently. In "Chille Tid", it is shown Pearl's dreams are projected as holograms as she sleeps.


 * Self-Duplication: Aside from Holo-Pearls, which is projected through her gemstone, Pearl can also replicate herself several times into hologram-esque clones of herself, as seen in "Beach Party".


 * Psammokinesis: Pearl is shown manipulating a small amount of sand to create figurines in "Giant Woman". It is currently unknown how much sand she can control at one time. This ability has only been shown once so far. Like her water-walking, it seems to be related thematically to her gemstone.


 * Nephelokinesis: In "Sworn to the Sword", Pearl can channel clouds in the direction of her choice, being able to gather clouds surrounding the arena around her to create a fine mist, reducing visibility and able to dissipate quickly. However, it is not known if she can do this in other locations. Additionally, in "Mr. Greg", Pearl forms overhead clouds into depictions of herself, Rose, and Greg during the song "It's Over Isn't It". It is possible that both this power and her psammokinesis are just manifestations of weak telekinetic abilities.

Additional Tools

 * Swords: Pearl possesses a vast collection of swords consisting of cutlasses, Persian Talwars, and sabers which she stores within the central fountain in her room.
 * Pearl's preferred sword when teaching sword fighting lessons is a standard adult training saber, as seen when training Connie and Steven.
 * Battleaxe (mentioned only): In "Onion Trade", Pearl demands Amethyst to reveal the location of her battleaxe.
 * Replicator Wand (formerly): Pearl has a wand capable of creating identical copies of any physical object. However, Garnet destroys it in "Onion Trade" because she did not want to individually destroy/poof the thousands of Dave G.U.Y.S., cars, and other objects that Onion made.

Steven Universe
"All that matters is that Steven is happy"

- Pearl in "Gem Glow" Pearl acts as a kind but overprotective mother towards Steven. She loves teaching Steven about Gem history and culture, as well as teaching him other things such as the art of sword-fighting.

As opposed to Garnet's more pragmatic and Amethyst's more fun-loving personalities, Pearl acts as a mentor. She always tries to speak gently to him and is usually the first to show concern when taking him on a dangerous mission. However, in "Space Race", she allows her own interest in returning to space to cloud her better judgement despite trying to attain her original goal of showing Steven the cosmos.

Pearl also tends to patronize Steven and frequently underestimates his abilities, expressing maternal feelings towards him and treating him like a fragile child rather than a fellow Crystal Gem, although over time she does respect the fact he is growing up. She is surprised to find that Steven is able to summon his shield in "Gem Glow", return to normal after transforming his fingers into cats in "Cat Fingers", think of strategies to escape the obstacles that they encounter in "Cheeseburger Backpack", as well as the Pyramid Temple in "Serious Steven". Pearl occasionally ignores Steven, such as when he brings up the idea of everyone eating breakfast together in "Together Breakfast". She also does not feel that Steven is prepared to learn about the dark side of Gem history, when she tells Amethyst that Steven "isn't ready" to learn about the harsher reputation of Gems in "On the Run". In "Sworn to the Sword", it is shown Pearl's maternal feelings towards Steven stems from her love and admiration for Rose Quartz, and she views Steven as a crucial asset to the Crystal Gems.

Despite recent events and her guilt, she is shown to support Steven and his endeavors in "Historical Friction". She compliments him on his wisdom when he describes the flaw in Mayor Dewey's portrayal of William Dewey in his play. She helps rewrite the play to be more accurate and is the only Gem to watch it, being ecstatic to see Steven onstage. In "Reunited" Pearl mentally states that everything she does is for Rose/Pink and Steven.

Garnet
"You are your own gem. You control your destiny. Not me, not Rose, not Steven. But you must choose to be strong, so we can move forward. So I can trust you again."

- Garnet to Pearl in "Friend Ship" Like the other Gems, Pearl respects and follows Garnet's orders without question. She does, however, believe that the Gems are a team and so may not exactly see Garnet as the leader, most likely because she will always see Rose Quartz as leader despite her absence. When situations are requiring executive decisions, however, Pearl usually defers to Garnet. In "Secret Team", it is clear that she shares an unprecedented fear towards her, along with Amethyst, to such an extent that both she and Amethyst willingly set aside their differences to keep the popped Gem-bubble a secret instead of facing the consequences. She has known about her true identity as a fusion for several thousand years. In "Cry for Help", it is apparent that Pearl looks up to Garnet as she is excited to fuse into Sardonyx to destroy the Communication Hub that Peridot rebuilt. Pearl enjoyed fusing with Garnet so much that she rebuilt the Communication Hub twice so she and Garnet could just fuse into Sardonyx resulting in Garnet's anger and temporary estrangement for the deception. In "Friend Ship", Pearl repaired her relationship with Garnet, making peace with her insecurities in the process. She is shown to idolize Garnet, or rather Ruby and Sapphire's relationship, as in that same episode she claims that they are the perfect relationship, and she wanted to fuse so badly because she craved being a part of a stable relationship.

Ruby and Sapphire
Pearl has not been shown interacting with either Ruby or Sapphire individually. However, during "Keystone Motel", Ruby is greatly angered by Pearl's trickery regarding the Communication Hub, whereas Sapphire is more willing to forgive. This conflict led to Garnet temporarily defusing.

In the episode "The Answer", Pearl and Ruby/Sapphire are on opposing sides (in fact, Pearl is about to "poof" Sapphire before Ruby's intervention). Ironically, Pearl's actions resulted in Garnet's creation and her (and by extension Ruby and Sapphire) joining the Crystal Gems. Also, in the Episode "Hit the Diamond", Pearl seems delighted to see Ruby and Sapphire when they un-fuse from Garnet.

Amethyst
"I hope you can forgive me...You're the one good thing that came out of this mess, I always thought you were proud of that."

- Pearl to Amethyst in "On the Run" The two used to share a strained relationship, which was likely due to their contrasting personalities. Pearl is often seen scolding Amethyst, who often teases Pearl in return. However, Pearl and Amethyst have been shown to be able to put their differences aside on multiple occasions to work together. For example, in "Secret Team", Pearl and Amethyst are forced to fight together, and complement each other's skills, even sharing appreciative smiles; in "Warp Tour", they praise and admire each other's fighting techniques; in "On the Run", the two reveal that they really do deeply care about each other, despite their differences and frequent fights. In "Story for Steven" they are shown having a much closer relationship before the events of the series, close enough to be perfectly content hugging and resting in each other's arms. It can be assumed that Rose's departure and Steven's birth somehow lead to their relationship deteriorating over time, as Amethyst implies that they used to fuse more often in "Giant Woman". Their relationship seems to have been slowly improving over the course of the series. In "Log Date 7 15 2" it is shown that it has improved enough for them to form Opal with little effort. In "Know Your Fusion", Pearl hugs Amethyst and tells her that she is amazed at what Smoky Quartz was able to do with their yo-yo, and lets Amethyst know how good an influence she has been on Steven, while Amethyst blushes. In "Last One Out of Beach City", Pearl is eager to go to the rock concert with Amethyst after Greg has to cancel the show due to a previous request from Barbara to play cards with her and Vidalia. In the same episode, Amethyst compliments Pearl about how hardcore and cool she is, and is also shown to be concerned that Pearl might get rejected by the mysterious woman.

Greg Universe
"Greg is... nice, Steven, but I doubt Rose would've entrusted someone like him with such a powerful weapon."

- Pearl in "Laser Light Cannon" She is on speaking terms with Greg and has shown to at least try to be civil towards him, even fixing his van after it is wrecked in "Ocean Gem". In "House Guest" she is anxious about him living with the Crystal Gems, and she is usually the first (and often the only one) of the Crystal Gems to get irritated or even mad at him as shown in "The Message". Because of Pearl's close relationship with Rose Quartz, it is possible that her negative view of Greg stems from her blaming him for his part in Rose's "death" in giving birth to Steven, much like she harbors a similar resentment towards Steven as revealed in "Rose's Scabbard".

In "Reformed", however, the two are seen casually tinkering with his van together and seemingly getting along very well, showing an improvement of their relationship.

The episode "We Need to Talk" further explores their relationship in the past when Rose was still alive. Pearl is shown to be very jealous of Rose's new-found affection for him and goes to great lengths of trying to challenge him and dissuade him from pursuing a relationship with Rose. This, combined with the fact that she sees Greg partially responsible for Rose's demise, explains why she seems to be uncomfortable, condescending and resentful towards him in episodes set in the current time.

In "Chille Tid", Pearl has a dream in which she suggests to Rose that they forget about Greg and explore the galaxy together. Much to her horror, Rose's face turns into Greg's.

"Mr. Greg" goes in depth on their relationship. Pearl expresses her feelings about Greg and Rose's relationship through song while she thinks Greg and Steven are asleep. In this song, Pearl says she feels lost without Rose, and that at first, she was able to stand Greg before Rose fell in love with him. She holds a grudge against him but seems to have given up at a certain point, accepting the fact that Rose had chosen Greg over her. Greg was awake the whole time and after the song is finished, he says that he does not think things can ever be normal between them. Steven reveals he brought Pearl with them for the purpose of trying to repair their relationship and sings "Both of You" to show how much they have in common. Their bond shows great improvement throughout the rest of the episode, and at the end, Steven quotes Pearl's song, singing the line "It's over, isn't it?" while watching them laugh with each other, implying Pearl no longer holds Rose's love for Greg against him and the two can finally work towards a good friendship.

In "Gem Harvest", when the Gems meet Andy DeMayo for the first time, Amethyst resents "some new Greg" intruding in their business, to which Pearl adds, "Our Greg is clearly the superior Greg," showing that Pearl has come to hold Greg in genuine esteem, a marked improvement from her previous resentment-tinged chilly détente with him.

Sugilite
"You're just too much!"

- Pearl to Sugilite in "Coach Steven" Pearl dislikes Sugilite due to her reckless and violent nature. Pearl almost grudgingly admits that she is jealous of Sugilite's strength (in a song), but she cuts herself off before finishing the line. Her dislike for Sugilite also stems from concern over Garnet and Amethyst as she believes it is dangerous for them to stay fused for longer periods of time; they might start losing their individuality. Also, Pearl's own competing desire to feel "stronger" (when fused as Sardonyx) also may play a role in her feelings to Sugilite.

Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond
"Everything I ever did, I did for her. Now she's gone... but I'm still here."

- Pearl in "Rose's Scabbard" Pearl's closest relationship before the series started was with Rose Quartz. Pearl fought with her against their own Homeworld. She (falsely) believed herself to be Rose's "sole confidant" and therefore the only living being privy to all of Rose's secrets, a position she took great pride in. Pearl looked up to Rose for guidance and support, and she developed romantic feelings for Rose over time.

In "Story for Steven", when Rose bragged about Greg's singing, Pearl is quick to note as soon as he is out of earshot that she can also sing, much to the amusement of the other Crystal Gems.

"Sworn to the Sword" reveals that she was so devoted to protecting Rose that she sacrificed herself constantly for her, having adopted the human title of a "knight" to heart to the point of obsessive recklessness.

"We Need to Talk" further explores the relationship between the two. Set in the 80's like the previous episode "Story for Steven" it reveals that Pearl was very jealous of Greg, constantly trying to persuade him that Rose's affections for him were just a "phase" because as a human he was eventually going to pass away while Rose, being a Gem, would live on. She also challenges him by convincing Rose to fuse with her in front of Greg, and later gloating that as a human he would never know such intimacy with Rose. Pearl's jealousy of Greg implied that her feelings for Rose were romantic. This was later confirmed by show writer Matt Burnett via a tweet[1] after the episode aired.

It is not currently known to what extent Rose Quartz reciprocated Pearl's romantic feelings, however, when asked if Pearl's feelings for Rose were supposed to be a one-sided crush, Matt Burnett described the situation as "much more complicated"[2]. In any case, their relationship was a very close one, as they easily and casually fused into Rainbow Quartz.

In "Chille Tid" Pearl has a dream in which she suggests to Rose that they forget about Greg and explore the galaxy together. In "The Answer", is confirmed that Pearl and Rose have been together since, at least, the year 3734 BCE.

Lion
Originally, Pearl saw Lion as just an average wild animal, being a little uneasy about Steven keeping him because of his probably dangerous nature. However, in "Rose's Scabbard", she gains a different kind of unease due to him containing Rose's Sword and thus having some connection to Rose. This knowledge distressed her greatly as Rose supposedly told her everything, causing her to resent Lion to the point where she ran away with Rose's Scabbard to the Gem Battlefield. After gaining encouragement from Steven, she seems to respect Lion a bit more while still feeling tenuous about him in general.

Connie Maheswaran
"Remember, Connie. In the heat of battle, Steven is what matters. You don't matter."

- Pearl in "Sworn to the Sword" Pearl originally saw Connie as just Steven's friend, but in "Sworn to the Sword", Pearl, initially doubtful, was touched to the point of tears by Connie's passion and willingness to defend Steven, thus mentors her in the art of sword fighting, and related Connie to herself and Steven to Rose during the training. She had begun to teach her the way that she had taught herself; to risk her life to protect Steven. However, Pearl soon learned from her mistake. Now, Pearl thinks that Connie is an expert on sword fighting and that she and Steven can be great knights together.

"Gem Hunt" further shows the trusting mentor-student relationship between Pearl and Connie when the latter accompanies Steven on her first Gem mission. Pearl agrees to leave Connie and Steven to their own devices while they are searching for the Snow Monster and keeps in touch with them via Walkie Talkie, but rushes to their aid as soon as they run into serious trouble.

Peridot
"I have to admit, it's remarkable that a Pearl such as yourself could become such a... knowledgeable technician."

- Peridot to Pearl in "Back to the Barn" Before the events of "When It Rains" Peridot is perceived as an enemy of Pearl and the Crystal Gems.

Pearl shows great disdain and anger towards Peridot until she came on even terms during the episode "When It Rains" and forms somewhat of an alliance with Peridot. During the events of "Back to the Barn" Pearl is treated as an inferior being to Peridot, as the gemstone pearl is revealed to be a servant class on Homeworld. This causes Pearl to become rather angry at Peridot during the episode, to the point of punching her in the face after Peridot's continuous jabs and belittling. Eventually, the two end up on even terms following the events of the "Robolympics". In Message Received, Pearl officially accepts Peridot as a Crystal Gem. Pearl and Peridot currently seem to be on good terms.

Bismuth
"Oh, come on Pearl. You know I can't take it when you cry like that!"

- Bismuth to Pearl when she starts crying in "Bismuth" When Steven brings Bismuth out of Lion's mane, Pearl is overjoyed and runs up to Bismuth to embrace her. Bismuth then jokes about who Pearl belongs to, which Pearl laughs along with. This shows that they have a strong relationship, as in any other circumstance, being a servant is a sensitive topic for Pearl.

Bismuth learns about the aftermath of the war from Pearl. When Pearl starts to cry, Bismuth tells Pearl that she starts to cry whenever Pearl does, implying they had a close relationship previously. Pearl apologizes, but Bismuth says that it is okay, and they comfort each other.

In general, they appear to be close (at least in comparison to the still extant Crystal Gems), having bonded over their common disregard of the Gem caste system.

Mystery Girl
"I asked her about her hair, and then she asked how I colored mine. I told her, "My appearance is just a conscious manifestation of light." and she said, "I know how that is." although, heh, I highly doubt it. Oh! And then I added, "By the way, I saved your planet, and your species, and you're welcome"

- Pearl talking about her conversation with the Mystery Girl in "Last One Out of Beach City" On the night she planned to see a rock show with Steven and Amethyst, Pearl met a mysterious woman and was surprised by her pink hair. She attempted to communicate with her, but failed due to her clumsiness. Steven later pointed out the obvious resemblance between the woman and Rose, and Amethyst realized that Pearl was infatuated with her. The woman later drove by Greg's van and Pearl tried to meet her gaze, blushing red all the while. At the end of the night, the trio managed to arrive at their rock show, which the woman happened to be attending as well. Pearl confidentially spoke to her as herself, and the two discussed their hair colors and the Rebellion. The mysterious woman gave Pearl her phone number, suggesting that she would like Pearl to call her on the phone sometime.

Jasper
Pearl appears to fear Jasper. When Garnet's physical form is brutally distorted by Jasper's Gem Destabilizer, Pearl screams in fear. In "Gem Hunt", when Pearl notices Jasper, she screams Jasper's name in a frightened voice and immediately points her spear towards her

Smoky Quartz
Pearl was very shocked and excited to meet Smoky Quartz. It has been shown that she cares about them, as to asking them questions in "Know Your Fusion" as Sardonyx.

Trivia
In the transition from the pilot to the series, Pearl underwent the most drastic change of the three Gems, to the point where she is almost unrecognizable to seasoned viewers seeing the pilot for the first time. Among these changes are:
 * Removal of gold ring around her gemstone.
 * Removal of earrings (and visible ears altogether).
 * Skin color changed (from blue to white).
 * Pointier nose.
 * Rounder face.
 * Slimmer, more cartoonish build.
 * Drastically different outfit.
 * Different hairstyle, covering ears and pointing backwards instead of forwards.
 * Rose-pink hair color to light peach.
 * Eye color changed (black to a light blue).
 * Removal of hearts on slippers and slipper color changed (dark blue to light blue).
 * Higher-pitched voice.
 * Different personality (in the pilot, she enjoyed and readily joined Amethyst in heckling Steven).


 * In "Back to the Barn" It is confirmed that there are multiple pearls on Homeworld. It is also confirmed that the pearl gemstones on Homeworld are considered inferior and as Peridot put it, "Made-to-order servants."
 * In "Together Breakfast", it is revealed that Pearl owns a wide collection of swords.
 * The Gems' fighting styles are based on dancing styles. Pearl's fighting/dancing style is ballet.[3]
 * In "Fusion Cuisine", Pearl states that she hates eating. She has stated that the digestive process is what disgusts her the most.
 * Pearl agrees to consume human food, expresses interest in eating, or admits to a preference for certain foods in "Together Breakfast", "Bubble Buddies", "Serious Steven", and "So Many Birthdays". These episodes all take place before "Steven the Sword Fighter". This could mean that Pearl used to like human food.
 * In a Twitter response to a fan, Matt Burnett explained that Pearl likes the process of pie, aka baking, rather than the consumption of it.[4]
 * However, she is shown to enjoy tea, as shown when she brings a teapot to Funland in "Serious Steven", and when she talks about finding out Connie's favorite tea in "Bubble Buddies".


 * In "Keep Beach City Weird", Pearl shows a reluctance to shapeshifting, and she is the only Crystal Gem who has not shown an ability to shapeshift outside regeneration.
 * However, in "Beach Party", "Space Race", and "Back to the Barn" she is able to shapeshift her outfit.
 * Pearl's weaponry includes a replicator wand, which is destroyed in "Onion Trade" by Garnet, and currently owns a collection of swords and a battle axe.
 * Pearl's ability to store things in her gemstone may be unique for pearls since Peridot did say in "Back to the Barn" that pearls hold "stuff" for the leader assigned to them, more likely for easier accessibility.
 * However, Garnet is able to summon the Pyramid Temple Key in "Serious Steven", which may indicate that, though Pearls were made to hold items, all Gems are capable of doing so.
 * In "Steven and the Stevens", she is seen playing the violin.
 * It is seen in "Monster Buddies" that Steven keeps a framed picture of Pearl on the side of their fridge. It is later destroyed by the Centipeetle Mother. In "When It Rains", it is revealed that it replaced by a new picture of her in her post-regeneration outfit.
 * Pearl appears to have her face on several coin-types.[5]
 * Pearl is the first Gem shown to be able to harness energy within their weapon for an attack in "Watermelon Steven".


 * In "Lion 3: Straight to Video", Pearl admits that she often watches Steven sleep.
 * Though stating during the same episode that Steven no longer wishes her to watch him sleep, she is observed intently watching him sleep when he wakes up from his first dream during "Chille Tid".
 * It is confirmed by Steven in "Steven the Sword Fighter" that organizing messes is one of Pearl's favorite hobbies.
 * It is revealed in "Reformed" that Pearl was always bothered by Amethyst's crooked shoulder strap.
 * Pearl is ambidextrous, shown in "Ocean Gem" where she is able to wield two spears at the same time.
 * Rebecca Sugar stated in an interview that the Crystal Gem Steven knows the least about at this point is Pearl.[6]
 * In "Sworn to the Sword", Pearl says she was only a few thousand years old when she began fighting alongside Rose Quartz.
 * It was on Earth that Pearl learned of sword fighting.
 * In a flashback, it appears that Pearl engaged a Gem (similar to Jasper) multiple times for Rose Quartz.
 * Pearl's gem represents a cabochon, a gem that has not been faceted but has been polished.
 * All of Pearl's fusions have been dubbed Giant Woman or something similar by Steven with the exception of Rainbow Quartz.


 * In most, if not all of her fusions, Pearl seems to be dominant with more features being attributed to her than her fusing partner.
 * Pearl's reason for protecting Earth is to carry on Rose's fight.
 * Her lines from the extended opening are "I will fight in the name of Rose Quartz! And everything that she believed in!"
 * Pearl finds life jackets very lame, puny, and unnecessary, as shown in "Chille Tid" as they are used to prevent drowning which opposes to pearls being formed underwater.
 * Her dancing is similar to how Princess Tutu dances from Princess Tutu.
 * Rebecca Sugar has stated Pearl represents the group-dependency stage in the human emotional development spectrum.[7]
 * When asked what songs would be on the Crystal Gems' playlists, Rebecca Sugar listed Sunmi's "24 Hours" and William Bolcom's "Graceful Ghost Rag".[8]
 * In "Back To The Barn", it is stated that pearls are used as servants on Homeworld who can be "owned".
 * In "Too Far", Peridot has stated that Pearl is prone to spontaneously singing and crying.
 * This is a tongue in cheek reference to how many characters cry and sing on Steven Universe.
 * Aside from Steven, Pearl is the most prone to crying and singing.
 * During the early days of the Rebellion, Garnet considered Pearl "terrifying".
 * In "Message Received", when Pearl is asked by Steven who Yellow Diamond's Pearl is, she is offended and states that not all pearls know each other.
 * Pearl replaces her usual star symbol with a pink diamond on her space suit, as seen in "Space Race" and "Back to the Barn".
 * Unlike other pearls, Pearl's gem is oval shaped,[9] big and on the forehead, while Yellow and Blue Pearl's gems are smaller, round and on the chest. Jasper also refers to pearl as "lost and defective". However, 'defective' might be in reference to her defection to the rebellion, rather than a physical defect.
 * According to Aivee Tran and Surasshu, "Pearl's piano is often written in minor, with blocked chords and gentle jazz influences", as well as an expanded palette of "harp and some pads."[10]
 * It should be noted that, to date, all fusions involving Pearl are in some way multi-colored, thus named after multi-colored gemstones.
 * Opal - Color play via diffraction.
 * Rainbow Quartz - Metal coating.
 * Sardonyx - Multi-colored bands of various colors.
 * Alexandrite - Color change due to exposure to different forms of light.
 * In "Know Your Fusion", an illustration of Pearl is seen on a "test your strength" device. On this device, Pearl is the weakest one shown, being weaker than Stevonnie, Garnet, Opal and Sugilite.
 * She is the character that has sung most of all in the series.
 * In "Last One Out of Beach City", Pearl admits that she does not have a license or legal citizenship in the country, fully aware of the absurdity of registering for either, having lived before such systems where installed and being unable to confess she is from space.
 * Pearl's clothes in "Last One Out of Beach City" resemble Lauren Zuke's Bad Pearl drawing.
 * It has been hinted at in several episodes that Pearl used to belong to Pink Diamond, like:
 * In Space Race, her space suit bore the insignia of Pink Diamond.
 * In Bubbled, Garnet mentioned one of the reasons for Rose Quartz shattering Pink Diamond was so Pearl could be free.
 * Pearl is voiced by Deedee Magno Hall.

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