02-22-2007, 12:16 AM
Quote:As for the economics of jewelcrafting, there are none, and won't be, as long as the price of mats is greater than that of finished products.
In general in WoW and other MMO's, the economy is driven more by the crafters who are trying to get skillups, and not by consumers who want items. There are more characters trying to level up their tradeskills, than there are characters who want/need most of the consumables and items that the trades make. So it is the crafters who pay the premium to do a combine or prospect or smelt or craft.
This is especially true right now, as many people are still working on leveling jewelcrafting at the same time. I suspect it will get better over time, at least for the high-demand items that can be gotten from prospecting and crafting.