So Finrod brought a bunch of White gems from Valinor, which he gifts to the dwarves who helped him build Nargathrond. They turn (some of) them into the Nauglamir and then gift them back, which is why it’s a huge symbol of friendship between the elves and the dwarves until it is very much not.

(This means I cheated in that post and double dipped on roasting Finrod over the same gems, once as cargo and once as a necklace)

I *think* it says in that section that he brought more treasure from Valinor than any other. It is one of those things where it’s not mentioned during the part pertaining to the crossing of the Helcaraxe, but because Finrod has all these rocks, and that’s how he got to Beleriand, people wonder… was he just pulling a sled full of sparkly things across the ice?

Personally, I like to imagine that was just the normal amount of bling Finrod wore on your average day and he didn’t think to take it off before the journey. 😂

In all seriousness I think it’s meant to be a sign that Finrod, despite reservations about leaving Valinor, genuinely was one of the only ones thinking about how they were going to build a life there once they arrived, as well as allowing him to show generosity. “Look at Finrod, he’s giving away priceless gems while the rest of his family fights over the Silmarils, and he gets a kingdom and a shiny necklace out of it! If the others were less obsessed with hoarding treasure maybe things would be going better for them, #moralofthehobbit”

Except it still leaves us with the image of him GETTING them there, and that does not leave us with the image of someone who doesn’t value gems, but rather the most extra being to ever walk middle earth.