Shardplate and Shardblades facts and an guess *Spoilers are Possible*

[Samurai]

We know the following:

 

 1. Plate and Blade currently use gems for energy

 

 2. Blades didn't always use gems, the were in fact add to the blade after the fall to allow the summoning and dismithing of the blade by there owners.

 

 3. In the WoK prolouge Sizth refuses to use plate because the gems that power interfear with his lashings.

 

 4. In chapter 19 of WoK, Starfall, we see knights using lashing with apparent ease.

 

 5. In chapter 57 of WoR, To Kill the Wind, page 686 on my Nook, Kaladin realize that a shardplate helm was able to feed on his stromlight to work.

 

 6. Finally we know form Dalinar's Visions that there was once a lot more shards foalting around then are in use on modern Roshar.

 

 From all this I theorize that gems have nothing to do with the making of shardplate.

[Arin]

I always thought it may have to do with the KR surges. I don't think they all had plate. I think those that did had surges like cohesion or adhesion. Once it was mastered they could "build" the plate from some "material". (I think they use it to bind lesser spren, like wind spren into plate.)

[Shaggai]

I always thought it may have to do with the KR surges. I don't think they all had plate. I think those that did had surges like cohesion or adhesion. Once it was mastered they could "build" the plate from some "material". (I think they use it to bind lesser spren, like wind spren into plate.)

 

I agree on the spren thing, but perhaps the gems were used for some of the other features of Plate, like adapting to whoever wears it. The gems were likely used to form a minor version of the Nahel bond (similar to modern Blades) with the wearer, so anyone could wear it. And since the spren never full-bonded, they wouldn't scream in the minds of Surgebinders.

On the other hand, that theory fails to account for the glow seen in Dalinar's visions. Perhaps each set of Plate was designed for a specific order, and would glow when worn by a member of that order? The spren involved in the Plate would be different for each order, like windspren for Windrunners. The lesser versions of the bonding spren.

[Ren]

I think it was said somewhere in WoR that Blades don't need a gem to work. I'll try to dig this up tomorrow.

[Shaggai]

Blades don't need a gem, but the gem forms a minor version of the Nahel bond with the wielder. That's how it can be summoned and dismissed.

[Vaspin]

Blades don't need a gem, but the gem forms a minor version of the Nahel bond with the wielder. That's how it can be summoned and dismissed.

 

I think the same can be said for the Plate and why it has gems in it. But instead of forming a bond, the gems allow the plate to reform because it lacks the original way in which it did so