Diamond Pin (Final Fantasy VII)

Diamond Pin
(ギヤマンヘアピン, Giyaman Heapin?, lit. Glasscraft Hairpin)
Availability
Obtained	Junon (before Highwind), Gongaga; steal from Bagnadrana
Character users	Red XIII
Value	1300 gil
Classification
Type	Headdress
Range	Melee
Element	Hit
Specifications
Attack	33
Magic atk	8
Attack%	102
Materia slots	x1 x2
Related pages
Recurring appearance	Diamond equipment

The Diamond Pin is the second weapon for Red XIII in Final Fantasy VII. It is has four Materia slots, two of which are linked. The weapon has modest stats, but is strong in comparison to other weapons available at the time, particularly for Magic.

Like all Red XIII's weapons, Diamond Pin is not rendered or visible in-game, and also cannot be thrown.

Obtained

The Diamond Pin can be purchased for 1,300 gil from Junon (before the player has the Highwind) or Gongaga. It can also be stolen from Bagnadrana upon reaching Mt. Corel, though this is later on than Junon.

Mechanics

As the Diamond Pin has a base Attack stat bonus of 33, the base damage for physical attacks when the Diamond Pin is equipped is in the following formula:

$\text{Base Damage} = \text{(33 + Strength)} + \frac{\text{(33 + Strength)} + \text{Level}}{32} \times \frac{\text{(33 + Strength)} \times \text{Level}}{32}$

where "Level" is Red XIII's current level and "Strength" is his Strength stat. The Mythril Claw also has an Attack% (Accuracy) of 100%, and grants a +8 bonus to Red XIII's Magic stat.

Use

The Diamond Pin is ahead of weapons available for other characters upon reaching Junon in terms of its stats. Between its stats and its added Materia slot, it is a considerable improvement over Red XIII's starting weapon, the Mythril Clip. This makes the Diamond Pin a worthwhile purchase if the player is using Red XIII. Otherwise, it can be stolen at Mt. Corel.

The Diamond Pin as four Materia slots. Due to the Magic boost by the weapon and Red XIII's own stats, Red XIII is one of the best mages at this point along with Cloud and Aeris. It is advisable therefore that Red XIII make use of offensive Magic Materia, preferably paired with All to give the option to defeat multiple enemies, and gear him towards a role as a mage. Red XIII can also equip a Restore Materia and heal the party, which can also be paired with All. He is also a decent choice for the Enemy Skill Materia, which takes up only a single slot and has powerful offensive and defensive options that make use of Red XIII's Magic stat, though this Materia is normally better suited to Cloud.

The Diamond Pin is later outclassed by the Silver Barrette upon reaching Cosmo Canyon, along with multiple weapons that are pure upgrades in stats and Materia slots. Therefore, the Diamond Pin should be replaced by one of these if the player is using Red XIII in the party.

Etymology

[view · edit · purge]In mineralogy, diamond is a metastable allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is the birthstone for April.