1) The first thing that comes to mind is how Jasper called her "a defective pearl." I remember reading elsewhere a theory that Peridot might be the "perfected" form of pearl, since they both serve similar functions such as their hologram ability for storing data. Peridot also isn't shown to be much of a fighter, either, so I'm wondering if Pearl was also meant to be a sort of database keeper?

2) Yeah, ick, for all the cool abilities you could gain, the setbacks to being a gem seem even more horrifying in proportion. Then again, from a gem's perspective, I'm sure they feel the same way about humans. (A fleshy, easily destructible substance that can't repair itself and even shut down entirely? How can they live at all!)

3) I never thought of it that way! That seems very possible.