Does anyone know where I can find them?
I need 2 for Madesi in Riften. I've had this misc quest open for ages and just haven't found 1, let alone 2.

Random, I think. It took me forever when I had the quest active and as soon as I turned it in they were everywhere.

Random loot. While they're not necessarily "common", you can run into a few in your adventuring. Just remember not to sell them, and the quest alert should remind you if it takes too long.

Don't worry, it's a fairly minor quest with nothing mind-blowing as a reward, so take your time. You'll run into them when you stop looking for them.

Try mining a lot. Or, if you just want to be absolutely lousy with gems, complete the Stones of Barenziah quest and get Prowler's Profit. I retiled my floor in Solitude with diamonds after about two hours.

It's very frustrating. I have been playing almost 80 hours, I got the quest quite early on and nothing.

You can get one guaranteed one in the Inner Sanctum of Dibella's Temple in Markarth. Of course, you have to steal it, and you'll piss off the priestesses. But you can get a quest to get you out of hot water with them, from Hamal.

2 places in game where UESP says one is certain to be found:

• Inner Sanctum, Temple of Dibella, Markath
  
• Korvanjund Crypt, The Pale

Took me forever to find these when I was looking for them; same with that flawless ruby for Peryite. Now that I don't need them, I find them constantly. I'd toss you a couple if I could.

The higher level you are, the more likely to get flawless, diamond, sapphire, and ruby; at least in my experience. Also you should mine as much as possible, since you will randomly get some from that.

Excellent, thanks for all the help.

I've had this quest on for a while now and have found a problem . . .


madesi is nowhere to be seen ~ had an online search and he lives in beggars row ~ went and had a look but nope he's not in there ~ searched a bit more and it turns out he can get killed in a fight with people from the thieves guild.


now the problem is this ~ I'd leave it there and walk away but when I take the items out of my inventory it flashes up as the quest is just beginning and from now on every time i pick up a mammoth tusk, gold ore or a flawless sappire it flashes up on the screen as an achivement ~ let them out again it flashes up as the quest is just starting & round & round it goes


also the quest is in the miscellaneous section so i can't switch it off without switching off all the other "misc'" questlines.

I can't play with them messages popping up all the time so i am currently going back through my old saves to find a point where he is still alive so i can give him the loot and get rid of him

not too happy about it either

You can't get the one in Korvanjund unless you've got the quest to get into there during the civil war I guess. I tried.... coc'd into the Crypt. There's NOTHING in there without the quest, except a few draugr, a draugr boss in the throne, and a boss chest - without the Flawless Sapphire. Funny thing is the draugr boss has the stupid crown even though the quest ISN'T active.

ok hold that last post . . .


I was wrong ~ spent the last hour going through old saves till I found him ~ then he wasn't where I expected him to be

so went back to my most recent save and he was there still ~ just not where I expected him to be :]

however the marker on the map didn't show up ~ not even when I was stood in front of him



sorry

my bad

Don't look for them.
All those fetch quests like where you are supposed to bring 10 Fire Salts to a blacksmith or rare ingredients to Ingun are not quests which you take and then try to complete them.
No, you simply take those quests and continue as if nothing happened.W
Once you stumble on something you need for those quests, you pick it up and hold onto it and continue on your way.
When you collect everything you need, then you return to the quest-giver and complete the quest.
So stop looking for those sapphires since you'll only torture yourself.

Yeah, I was gonna' say if the quest is still active it means he still alive because the few times I've had active quests and the NPC giver/receiver died I get the "Failed" message.

This.

...but if you insist on searching, as others have mentioned, mining is good. It seems I've found really good gems from the "Geodes" in Blackreach...could've been my level though as others have also mentioned.