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Early in the film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Part 1, Katniss is frequently seen playing with a small metal ball. It was about the size of a ball bearing. I don't recall seeing this ball in the earlier films, and no one ever comments on it.

What was it, and what significance did it have?

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It's not a ball bearing; it's a pearl.

At least, that's what it looks like. Recall that in Catching Fire, they're catching seafood in the water. Peeta finds a pearl in an oyster, and he gives it to Katniss as a gift. As she's worried about him in the Capitol, she's holding on to it as a reminder of him, and as a small token of his affection for her.

Here's a picture of the pearl in Katniss's hand in Catching Fire (taken from the Hunger Games Wiki page about the pearl):

enter image description here

I don't exactly recall what the ball looked like, but it seems to fit your description, and I've seen this theory in other forums (and that Wiki article).

I looked it up, and this theory is backed by the books. Here’s an excerpt from chapter 2 of Mockingjay, as Katniss is on a plane towards District 13:

I feel around for the parachute and slide my fingers inside until they close around the pearl. I sit back on my bed cross-legged and find myself rubbing the smooth iridescent surface of the pearl back and forth against my lips. For some reason, it's soothing. A cool kiss from the giver himself.

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  • In a way, it's her anchor as well. All throughout Mockingjay Katniss suffers from psychological damage; due to the torment she endures. She never lets go of it though, and that symbolises how she never lets go of Peeta. Katniss compares the feel of the pearl as "... soothing. A cool kiss from the giver himself ...".
    – Möoz
    Dec 1, 2014 at 20:57

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