Ele não encontrou um Silmaril em Orthanc, ele encontrou um palantír :
Will you, Aragorn, take the Orthanc-stone and guard it? It is a dangerous charge.'
'Dangerous indeed, but not to all,' said Aragorn. 'There is one who may claim it by right. For this assuredly is the palantír of Orthanc from the treasury of Elendil, set here by the Kings of Gondor. Now my hour draws near. I will take it.'
The Two Towers Book IV Chapter 11: "The Palantír"
Na Terceira Era (quando o Senhor dos Anéis acontece), as três Silmarils estão perdidas, consideradas além do alcance dos Elfos, Homens e Orcs:
- Um está voando pelo céu, carregado por Eärendil
- Um deles está no fundo do mar, jogado lá pelo filho de Fëanor, Maglor
- O último está em algum lugar subterrâneo; O filho de Fëanor, Maedhros, jogou-o (e ele mesmo) em uma rachadura na crosta terrestre
'Saruman, your staff is broken.' There was a crack, and the staff split asunder in Saruman's hand, and the head of it fell down at Gandalf's feet. 'Go!' said Gandalf. With a cry Saruman fell back and crawled away. At that moment a heavy shining thing came hurtling down from above. It glanced off the iron rail, even as Saruman left it, and passing close to Gandalf's head, it smote the stair on which he stood. The rail rang and snapped. The stair cracked and splintered in glittering sparks. But the ball was unharmed: it rolled on down the steps, a globe of crystal, dark, but glowing with a heart of fire. As it bounded away towards a pool Pippin ran after it and picked it up.
The Two Towers Book IV Chapter 10: "The Voice of Saruman"
Os palantíri são significativamente maiores que os Silmarils; nos contaram em Contos Inacabados que, no mínimo, eles tinham cerca de 30 centímetros de diâmetro:
At smallest they were about a foot in diameter, but some, certainly the Stones of Osgiliath and Amon Sûl, were much larger and could not be lifted by one man.
Unfinished Tales Part 4 Chapter III: "The Palantíri"
Se o Wormtongue conseguiu derrubá-lo da torre com tanta exatidão quanto ele, a pedra de Orthanc provavelmente está no limite inferior daquela escala; então não é tão implausível que Pippin o tenha encontrado tão facilmente quanto ele.