Mining was hard work. Mana stones grew in honeycomb patterned rocks hidden deep within caves. The pearls were fragile so traditional mining tools couldn't be used to extract them. Instead, miners would break off segments of the rock and them in a specially formulated softening liquid, and then proceed to extract the stones. The stones were shaped like pearls, they were translucent and filled with a dense cloudy-white substance. The more opaque the pearl was, the higher the quality. Low-tier stones were almost transparent. Their insides were barely filled with anything and you could make out the rotation of the cloud within them. Mid-tier stones were a step up, they were filling enough that you couldn't actually make out the energy, you just saw a cloud of energy within them. High-tier stones were a lot like mid-tier stones but their centers were darker, instead of the same shade of white like the other stones. This showed that there was a stronger condensation of elemental energy. Supreme-tier stones were mostly unheard of and were a dark grey color all the way through. This level of pure elemental energy concentration would guarantee the strongest foundation for the mage that could afford them. Each day, a miner would only be able to mine 40 - 80 stones at the most. The majority of these stones would be low and mid-tier, with an average of ten high-tier stones. About once a month, someone would find a supreme-tier stone.