On the market today, there are dice of every shape, material, and style available. From polymers to fine woods to bison horn; it’s out there if you’re willing to pay for it. Some materials are far better suited for practical uses while some are best for display. Tonight, we look at Roxy’s most expensive set of dice to-date. Were they worth it? Check out the episode here!

Last year, at the Texas Renaissance Festival, Roxy was lured in by the calls of a merchant selling incense. Then, much to her surprise, one third of the booth was full of various ornately crafted boxes and polyhedral dice. The dice were all on the expensive side, but of various sizes (12mm to 30mm) and makes. She zeroed-in on a set of 12mm hematite rollers with engraved red numerals. Even though they were small, she accepted the $40 price tag and added on one of the small wooden boxes which was the perfect size for a miniature.

If you know anything about hematite, it can be very soft and prone to chipping, and honestly, we were surprised they were able to engrave the numerals. By the time we got home and after carrying them in the small wooden box in her purse for the day, many of the sharp corners were showing signs of wear and flaking. They have only been rolled a few times since then, and are mostly out-of-service unless we have a foam-lined dice tray on the table. Good looks in the display case aside, the numbers are too small to read easily against the glare of the polished faces of the hematite, so that’s another strike against its practicality at the table.

In preparing for this episode, we found what looks to be the very set available from Game Master Dice for only $29.95 with a bag included, but as of this writing, they are sold out. Still, this knowledge makes our Texas RenFest buy not worth it, except that we picked them up on a great day of making memories with friends. If you are like Roxy, and you like the look and feel of hematite, but don’t plan to use them too often, it’s up to you whether or not a $30 price tag is worth the leap for a nice set of display-quality dice.