These lifeforms required millennia to reach maturity, and their luminescence stemmed from an internal light source. Despite their biological origin, rainbow gems could function as lightsaber crystals. Tenel Ka Djo, who held the title of Princess of Hapes, possessed a tiara embellished with rainbow gems whose collective worth equaled that of a solar system. Following the catastrophic failure and explosion of her initial lightsaber, which also resulted in the loss of her arm, she incorporated some of these crystals into her second lightsaber.
Frequently integrated into medallions, these gems were highly prized, with a single gem fetching the same price as a Calamarian cruiser. Their immense value and inherent traceability made them a component of a Huttese bribe to Admiral Winstel Greelanx, intended to secure the battle strategies for his impending assault targeting Nar Shaddaa. The delivery of this Huttese gemstone bribe was entrusted to a young Han Solo.