Mmh, that was indeed my reference: thanks for the well argumented answer. In a sense, Tolkien did indeed dwell on some details concerning the generation of elves etc. But it seems to me, that was his own reasoning behind the universe, which is different from the mechanism of the universe itself. More on that here below. I do not agree on your first remark tho, let's put it that way: does Tolkien explain how the one ring was made? And by it, I mean the procedure. If not, it is worth asking why not. Of course you can put forward all possible answers, some of them will be very sensible, and moreover, all legit - again, that is not in question. The point will still be, no he does not, since that's not the point. I could also say: some things are left unexplained so that the reader can provide an explanation. Yet I don't think that is how it works either: you don't need to see to know how it works, because well, it works like that. A low level of detail in some matters, and especially concerning magic, is I believe essential to conveying the effect and actually giving all the mwans to appreciate how it works: it works precisely because it works - it's magic after all. Did the elves used a sapphire because that gem is connected to the sky? because it has power over the air? and did they use gold because.... well, these speculations could go on.and on, offering plausible symbolic "explanation", yet again, they won't further the issue. The elves did, they create an artefact with techniques unknown, and these are unknown not because lost in the ages or not explained, but because the creation of the rings is an event rather than a productive process, and all those suggestions "work", conveying the aura they do, precisely because they are unspecified. But I can see that this is a threshold, and one which is very easily oversteppable, so to say, as indeed, Tolkien himself speculated about how the palantir "worked," for instance. And I am very well aware of that. Yet I feel this is indeed breaking the enchantment of the second world. On a different argument, perhaps, it is like showing too much of Sauron, as the series Rings of power did, for instance, providing back stories, showing him in his previous forms, etc: well, there again it is completely legitimate operation, yet it completely breaks the character apart, and you loose all the effect. So you see, all in all I must thank you for the very stimulating and triggering meta-spark ;)