The Gemstone Silver/Garnet is the newest release in what is considered Lane #1’s entry level line. The core/cover combination of this ball is the same as the original. The Hybrid ISO Pearl Reactive cover allows the Gemstone to glide through the front part of the lane for all styles on medium-dry to medium-oily conditions.

Cranker had the best success with the Gemstone on the medium test pattern, while Tweener and Stroker had the best look on our drier test pattern. Those with higher rev rates will benefit the most from the easy length this new release provides. The reaction at the breakpoint was super controllable but still provided plenty of hitting power. Those with medium or lower revs will need a bit more friction from the lane than those with higher rev rates.

The drier test pattern offered the best overall reaction for both Stroker and Tweener. This condition, while being shorter and having less volume than our medium pattern, offered the right amount of friction for the Gemstone in the hands of Stroker and Tweener. The pattern forced Cranker deeper into the oil, but still allowed him to find the pocket with a rather high degree of success. The deeper line to the pocket decreased his carry percentage slightly, but not enough to make him put it away. For higher rev rates, we would suggest a longer pin placement for drier conditions.

Although the Hybrid ISO Pearl Reactive cover is rather strong, we found the length it offers to be too much for our long and oily test pattern. Roughing up the surface did help slightly, but took away from the Gemstone’s ability to work well on the medium and drier test patterns.

Sport patterns that are on the medium to dry side will offer more success for the Gemstone compared to those with higher volumes of oil.

Strengths: What most will appreciate about the Gemstone is the use of a high performance cover that is not overpowered by a high performance core. This combination gives the Gemstone a strong read of the lane without going crazy when it encounters friction.

Weaknesses: The Gemstone will struggle on large volumes of oil. The core/cover combination just doesn’t create enough friction to handle heavy oil patterns. Surface adjustments will help on medium to oily patterns.

Overall Summary: This new Gemstone keeps the same price point as the original and maintains the excellent performance for the price tag. It will be most useful when the lanes offer plenty of friction and a ball with lots of hitting power is required.