In QN, players take on the role of a jeweller eager to become the number one Jeweller in the Royal Court. Many of the cards depict rubies, diamonds, emeralds and amber (not truly a gem as the game points out) and each of the cards may display 1, 2 or 3 of these. The deck also contains numerous character cards that have a special ability to affect the play. The game begins by each player taking 4 cards into their hand and 5 cards are then turned face up on the table ready to purchase. Each card has a set of numbers down one side and when a card is first turned face up it has a little gold ring placed on the highest of these numbers. This sets the cost of each card for the next active player. On a player's turn they cut spend up to 10 Ducats to buy cards, which are added to their hand. Depending on the values present a player may acquire 1 or multiple cards on their turn. Any left over Ducats cannot be kept. The player ends their turn by replacing any purchased cards with new ones from the deck and placing the gold ring on the top most number. Any cards that started the turn on the table and were not purchased will have their rings moved 1 number down therefore making it cheaper for the next player. This lends the game much of its strategy, as players must not only consider what they can take but what they will leave behind. Character cards can be played before buying or during the buying phase activating its effect. One such character is the thief, which allows the player to steal a card from another player. The Courtier allows the player to spend 13 Ducats on their turn instead of the usual 10. Play continues in this fashion until a Merchant card is revealed. This signals a jewel sale and it is now that the players must impress the Queen and earn points. Secretly each player decides which gems they will sell and how many. Once all players have decided they reveal the cards simultaneously. Before the game began 4 gem tiles are placed to one side and randomly 4 value tiles are selected and placed beside each of the gems (the value represents the fashion of the gems). The player who sells the most gems of each type will earn the corresponding points with the other players getting nothing for gems of that type. There is a second scoring condition based on rarity. All gems of each type sold by each player are added together to determine which gems had the fewest sold. The player who sold the most of this type will earn the maximum rarity points. Three of the 4 gem types will earn points in this way. This is a clever mechanic as players are torn between playing gems to capture the fashion value, which could jeopardise their chances of earning rarity points. All sold cards are removed from the game and the game concludes with the arrival of the 3rd sale where the highest points will determine the winner.

Queen's Necklace is another quality card game from DoW that can lure in the traditional card player and the more strategy minded. The use of a fixed and variable scoring system is also clever and keeps the players guessing. There are many characters that alter the game and you can discover them if you choose to buy it!