[He laughs under his breath, humourless; something flat blinks through his eyes.] Mm. And sometimes things have no value, no matter how valuable they make themselves. Or perhaps that's to ascribe too much intent to a bunch of rocks.

Let's have another try. [The cloth was a good idea; he looks around for one, folds it and places it over his rock; he thinks about the jewelcrafter's ramblings.] These are supposed to form when water gets into the rock. So, logically, you'd think there would be an access point for the water—

[But he gives it a firm tap—not with the flat of the hammer, but the edge of the flat, trying to match the force she used. Taking the cloth away, he sees the whole side of the geode has chipped away, revealing some muddy-looking crystals that now appear to be in a small cave.] Not too bad.