Spirit shards

Spirit shards are used in the Summoning skill along with charms to create Pouches to summon Familiars. Spirit shards can be purchased from Pikkupstix in Taverley (at the starting point of the Wolf Whistle quest), for 25 coins, and the pet shop owner in Yanille.

Note that in the player's section of Pikkupstix's store, there are player shards for sale. Two possibilities are that it is for those who want to earn back a little money, or quite possibly in the future, members may be able to create their own shards.

Criticism
The price of spirit shards have stirred a lot of criticism with members. When Summoning was first released the price was 50 coins each. With a lot of pouches players needed high amounts of shards to make them. With the price so high, many players started giving up on Summoning. After reading the forums, Jagex decided to half the price. And though many players still find this price quite expensive.