In reply to Michael Gordon:
> I don't get it. Why go to all that trouble when you could just find a stone at the top/bottom of a crag, or at the beach?
Two possibilities come to my mind..
a) To put more effort into getting something less accessible, thereby making it a bit more 'special' as a gift.
b) If it was on the telly, to make a more dramatic bit of telly than just picking it up off the beach.