[NyteSky]

I'm with Tarthang, except that I don't think that the staves (is that the correct plural) were easily replaceable. They certainly weren't required for the wizards to use their power, but they helped. If they were merely a focus and anything could serve then why not use something less cumbersome, like a ring perhaps. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] If the staves were easily replaceable then Gandalf's being destroyed fighting the Balrog would be mostly meaningless. I think it was a powerful symbolic event personally. Not that the staff itself was purely symbol though. Same when Gandalf broke Saruman's. It had an effect.
As to Saruman not taking Gandalf's: I don't think he could. Though beaten Gandalf had enough power to keep Saruman from doing that- there's a connection between the wizards and their staves that is not easily broken. At least that's how it makes sense to me.