[tinkthank]

This sounds strange. Here is some guesswork on my part:

- You want to take gems you dont have yet
- There are more than 2 mages in that province, and your pretender is 3rd (or 10th) on the list, and doesnt show up on the "Give Gem" screen: you have to click on the top row to get him/her there.
- A fire has destroyed your lab when you were out slaughtering peasants; check your Messages

??