Jewelcrafting: 'final' verdictFollow

Long post ahead.

So like many other, I decided to go with Jewelcrafting in the expansion.

To me it wasn't so much about it being 'new', as much that the guild only had 1 and I figured it would be good to have a 2nd one. He was Aldor, I was Scryer, we'd be covering both recipee set. It made sense. Beside, I was an alchemist (with no rare recipees) and we had tons of those.

Leveling it was a pain obviously, with what the incredibly price gouging on old world mats (most old world gem had a 500%-1000% increase in price!) and for a long time, new recipees were going for 300g+. This of course, was the price to pay for leveling a new profession. It didn't make me happy, but I dealt with it. Didn't see a point in complaining about it.

Prices are finally starting to drop (I can buy patterns for 100-150g) and my gems collection has increased. I can count on 2 hands the number of blue/meta gems (outside of Hyjal/BT stuff) I'm missing and like most high level JC, I'm getting a bit of a reputation (I NEVER hawk my ware, yet I get lots of tell from people I don't know asking me to cut stuff :P).

So now that the original 'jewel fever' is over, I feel like I can make a more objective assesment of the profession.

And sad to say, it's basically that JC sucks as a profession.

Now don't get me wrong, there's something nice about helping guildies gear up by crafting gems. The 'metagamer' in me really like having access to all those different gems... but that's really all there is to it. It's an awesome profession from a 'I'll do it to help the guild' point of view, but it offers very little to the JC himself.

In many way, we're like Enchanters, but without the ability to 'DE' items and make quick cash off the mats. We can prospect ores, but considering the high price of ores, you'll often lose money rather then make some while prospecting. Most people do tip or accept a low fee for gem cutting, but there's no way you'll ever come close to making a profit considering how much money you've had to put in there.

Even Enchanter have a small period of time where they can ask big tip for rare recipees (See Mongoose, etc) before it become common... for the most part, JC don't have that luxury.

And perhaps more frustrating is the lack of 'unique and poweful' item. We don't have any BoP epic recipees. Nothing that requires primal nether. Most of the non-gem item we can make are situational Resist item or Blue Trinket that while good, are not great. The lack of epic items (BoP or not) that aren't Resist piece really ... sucks for a lack of a better word.

At first I saw the lack of need for primal nether as a blessing. Heroics were big scary place and the idea of farming those wasn't fun. Now that I can do heroics without much problem, it actually pisse me off that those Nether aren't even needed by my profession.

I was comparing JC to enchanter earlier, and even enchanters get those 'bop' enchants to their rings. Due to the nature of enchants, you'll always want your rings to be enchanted, even as you upgrade them. As a JC, once I get a better trinket then my panther, I might as well vendor it.

Would it be too much to ask for a '2nd tier' of trinket? I don't know... upgrade the Nightseye Panther to a 'Nether Panther' or something? Just tossing the idea out here.

I also wonder, now that TBC has been out for several months, what do the other early adopter of Jewelcrafting feel about their profession?

Enchanting has the one trinket that may be desireable that is bop.

All the jewelcrafting trinkets seem to be bop. This is something that could be made to sell, but on the other hand, there are too many rings as it is, just from the JC skillers working their way up, without going into the trinket market also.

I'd have to agree with OP. Short of staying in town a lot and offering your cuts, like other enchanters do, if you want certain rings or necklaces, you could get a jewelcrafter to make them without doing JC yourself.

In fact, prior to 50 or so, players may be those rings you made. But after 60, there are such nice rings and necklaces, either boe or bop, that in fact, the JC rings and necklaces aren't much profitable or desired. And if they are desired, they aren't selling as profitable as it would take to make a steady supply of them.

At this time on my server, a cut gem may be 20g or 50g..the cut version is 25g or 55g, even the popular cuts like +crit, etc. So for an extra 5-10g, without going through the motions of doing the JC skill itself, a person could enjoy said gems in their gear.

Just thought I'd point out that in order to even equip the Frozen Shadoweave set, you have to have Shadoweave tailoring. So if you wanna keep using the gear you spent all that time making, you better keep the tailoring! :)

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough there. I meant that when I am finished using the set I am going to drop tailoring. So I'll have to be in my at least full T-4 before I drop it, if not later. Since my guild hasn't downed Prince yet, I don't foresee that happening next week.

-Mont