a crystalline rock that can be cut and polished for jewelry; "he had the gem set in a ring for his wife"; "she had jewels made of all the rarest stones"
for or by a group rather than individuals; "dipping each his bread into a communal dish of stew"- Paul Roche; "a communal settlement in which all earnings and food were shared"; "a group effort"
relating to a small administrative district or community; "communal elections in several European countries"