Bejews

Originally known as "bead jewels", bejews are the unofficial currency used in the Fog Zone of Chronwhorl, and among thieves and smugglers throughout the human nation. The currency consists of small beads of gemstones, with each type of gem holding a different value. Bejews are often carried as part of jewelry or clothing decoration. Special chains, belts, and sashes are designed with pivoting hooks to hold larger bejews, while smaller denominations are often strung together or carried in a pouch. The denominations of this currency system are much smaller than the official currency of the merchants, nobles, and the Order. The bejews are backed by official currency and can be exchanged for when a purchase from merchants is needed.

History

Bead jewels were first conceived in the Hanging Web beneath Chronwhorl. The Web did not have regular interaction with the city proper, and did not engage in regular trade. As such, while there was some money within the Web there was no great need for it. There was also not enough to make exchanging money for goods or services a realistic option. The denizens of the Web chose to exchange services and goods directly with each other through a bartering system. This system worked well for a time. While the number of people living in the Web was small and bonds were extremely close there was rarely any tension around the exchange of goods. Any disputes could be resolved by the Elemental Council, known more informally as The Five at the time.
This balance changed as more elementine people were rescued from the Mythic Slave Trade, and cast out myth-touched found their way into the Web. As the population grew so too did the tension around goods. The Web had little room to expand, and even less access to skills or work that would be seen as beneficial. Resources dwindled, trade became imbalanced, and many were left with no way to beat out competition for necessary goods or services. This began a dark time within the Web. Many died before a long term solution was found, and many people found themselves in the same situations they fled the city to get out of.
Several years before this tipping point, the Nyross Guild began making a name for themselves in the Fog Zone from the disgraced merchant family which had previously lived in prominence on the Shining Roads. The guild had been trying for a little over a year to get in touch with the Web and expand their network. The Five invited the guild in to meet and ask for their help with the collapse of the bartering system.
As a show of good faith for the meeting, the Nightstar of that time brought food and resources with her to the meeting. Disbursement of these goods helped to keep the worst of the colapse at bay for some time. Wile these resources were a short term solution it was the meeting itself which focused on the long term. The Nyross guild was very well versed in trade from their previous prominance as a merchant family and recognized the issues surrounding the high demand for resources without any medium to assist in regulating a consistant value of the limited goods. The Nightstar provided her personal scribe, who was highly skilled in accounts and trade, and an initial plan for a smaller currancy system in return for a place within the Web.

Denominations

In the very beginning, the denominations of bead jewels were determined by the exact type of gemstone used to create each bead. Many issues arose with this plan, and it quickly became apparent that a simpler process was needed. For this plan to work long term it needed to be both sustainable and to not draw the attention of the Order. This meant the raw gemstones needed to be bought cheeply and in bulk. Such a purchase would be limited to lower quality gemstones, and more common varieties. Even with common gemstones, many of the residents of the Web were not familiar enough with jewels to know the differences between the different jewels they were holding. The low quality made this distinction between the jewels even more difficult.
A new plan was created to differentiate by simply color, and to shape each bead based on its denomination to align with the color. With this simplified version the jewell colors and shapes were distinct, allowing for easy differentiation at all light levels. The shape and size differences became particularly useful any time the beads were exposed to strong Radiance as well, as the golden light would destroy some of the color in each jewel. After comparing the needs of the Web against the actual goods and currancey moving through the area, The Five settled on seven bead jewel denominations based mostly around color: glass, yellow, red, blue, purple, black, and green.
Green jewels, commonly known as shines, make up the largest denomination at the valaue of five {insert standard currancy unit}. They get their name from the blue-white oas light which glows at the heart of each jewel. The green gemstones vary in shade but are cut to a standard sized inch long egg shape and encased in a wire net wrapping, with a strong loop at the top to hook onto a bejews sash. The jewel is cut to be facetted and enhance the natural glow of oas within it. Even low value gemstones cleanly cut in this size are a tempting lure for quick fingers, so shines are rarely ever seen on a bejews chain or belt. It can also be considered sacreligious to carry oas infused jewels, and can earn a one way trip to the spires. If someone posseses any shine they tend to keep it well hidden in their home or on their bodies.
The next largest denomination is shades, or dark grey and black jewels. Shades are equivalent to {insert standard currancy unit} and five shades are equal to one shine. Shades are cut to be facetted spheres slightly smaller than the shines. The facets on shades are much larger as well, giving the jewel a rougher feel. The jewel is bound by two perpendicular metal bands with a loop on one of the two interlinked ends.
The next denomination is pendants, or purple colored jewels. These are the largest denomination of bejew you are likely to see anyone using. They are half the value of a shade or {insert standard currancy unit}. Pendants take their name from their shape. They are cut as a cabochon and set in a metal plate with decorative setting edges. The resulting pendant is roughly the same size as a shade.
Blue toned jewels, or swirls, are the next denomination and are worth on fifth of a pendant. These jewels are cut to form an ovoid, with three evenly spaced grooves which spiral from one tip to the other. These groves are inlaid with wire and have a loop for hanging the swirl at one end. Swirls are generally cut to half an inch in length, with somesmall variation depending on the gem used. The shapre is distinctive enough that some variation in size does not cause any confusion. Swirls are often stored on a bejew chain or belt, for use in larger purchases.
Red toned jewels, or embers, are next at a value one fifth that of a swirl. Embers are also cut into hexagonal bipyramids, and secured withlinked metal bands just to either side of the central ridge. These jewels are suspended from a loop on this banding so that the two points extend out to each side. Embers are more precisely cut than swirls and have a half inch diameter. Embers are usually carried on bejew chains or belts, but may also be carried in pouches with the two smallest bejew types.
The second smallest denomination of bejew is disks, or yellow toned jewels, and are valued at one fifth of an ember. Disks are any variety of yellow or light orange gemstone cut to be a rather thin disk just under half an inch in diameter with a hole cut in the center. Most of this bead is smooth, but the outer edge is facetted and curve up to the flat surfaces. The jewels used to make disks are very suseptable to being washed out by Radiance exposure, making the shape very important to identifying them. The facets along the curved outter edge are cut to amplify oas making it possible to verify the disks by exposing them to a source of oas, but this is rarely done outside of exchange houses.
The final denomination are druks, and are simple sphereical beads made of glass. Druks are valued at one fifth of a disk. As the smallest and most common denomination druks are commonly referred to simply as beads. The terms druk and bead are used interchangabily, with bead being the more common term used in the Fog Zone proper. Children in the Fog Zone have been known to run up to venders and ask "Hey, you do beads?" to find out if the vendor accepts bejews or only official currency. It is rather common for artisans outside the Nyross guild to try and make some extra money by crafting their own druks and trying to circulate them. For the most part the guild allows the extra circulation. They do make an effort to track down the artisans and charge them a fee on their next conversion to make up for the value change, but the value of a single druk is so low that trying to stop the process would be wasted effort.

1 Shine :: 5 Shades :: 5 {insert standard currancy unit}

1 {insert standard currancy unit} :: 1 Shade :: 2 Pendants :: 10 Swirls :: 50 Embers :: 250 Disks :: 1250 Druks

Usage & Exchange

Bead jewels were origionally designed solely for usage in the Web, but have expanded as trade has grown. Bejews can now be found as a currency throughout most of the Fog Zone and amoung smugglers. It is a convient curreny due to the very small denominations, and it has not been officially recognized by the Order. Many Seekers have come across bejews and have a basic understanding of its use as simple exchange currency, but bejews have not been reported as anything worth nothing. An unexpected consiquence is that smugglers also use bejews so they are not moving with any noticible amount of {insert standard currancy unit}.
Some vendors within the Fog Zone have also taken to accepting bejews for smaller purchases. The costs of trading with the spire trade markets is high for anyone, and opening sales to bejew customers gives merchants more buying power amoung themselves without as much reliance on the upper city. The Nyross guild functions as an intermediary and control by offering free conversions to and from bejews at exchange houses throughout the Fog Zone. While this service is free for Foggers and denizens of the Web, merchants and businesses are charged a small conversion fee to keep up the system and keep any attempt at ammassing great wealth in check.