Jewelcrafting
"Jewelcrafting's dirty little secret is that not all gems are cut for money."
- Sagolicus Brightpowder, Master Jewelcrafter, Ruby Crown of Gem Cutters Guild
Career
Qualifications
Not race, class, stat or roleplaying gated, but not all levels of jewelcrafting are achieved by anyone. Those with higher dexterity can create more intricate pieces, charging more for their services and stronger players can create larger pieces, cleaving large gems and forging larger ornaments for royalty to wear. Since progression through the guild is not necessarily skill based, those inclined for political machinations may find a comfortable living within the guild as they progress by learning techniques quicker. There are those who say some secrets held in inside Crossings can only be found this way.
Career Progression
Novice a.k.a. "Pebbleshaper"
Learns to cut and shape basic gems, increasing their value when sold to Journeyman jewelcrafters but lowers value to general merchants. Novices aren't creating jewelry, simply shaping the small pebbles of cheap gems they can afford; malachite, pearls, glass, diamonds, etc. Amateur jewelcrafters don't require guild recognition but often don't start acquiring recognition for their work without guild support. It's often the Journeyman who they sell their ready-to-seat gems to who sponsor their membership to the Gem Cutters Guild and become recognized, official Novices. From there, they can take the steps necessary to become a Ringmaker.
Journeyman a.k.a. "Ringmaker"
Novices become Journeymen by having two Journeymen send letters of recommendation to the Experts at Crossings. The newly anointed Journeyman must then start stamping their jewelry with the Gem Cutters Guild's seal to spread the influence of the guild as well as increase the price of their wares since it now carries their lofty status within such a fine guild. Journeyman can now cut any and all standard, non-magical gems; sapphires, rubies, emeralds are all at their disposal. The jewelry they make is nothing exceedingly well made, but nobles, princes, and wealthy merchants would be proud to have their children wearing such fine ornamentation.
Expert a.k.a. "Coronator"
Journeymen become Experts by crafting three rings of distinct gems and styles and making the journey to Crossings. There, Journeymen display their rings for Masters to judge. Since Masters are not bound to stay within the guild, the number of Masters that judge a Journeyman's rings varies and has become a measuring stick for the Experts to judge each other by how many Masters gave their approval. Only one Master is needed but often Journeymen will wait until more than that are in the hall before presenting their rings to improve their status among their peers.
Experts are the work horse and show ponies of the Gem Cutters Guild. Once they become Experts, jewelcrafters are given free reign of the guild hall and introduced to the political intrigue of their patrons and mentors, if they hadn't already used those back channels to propel themselves to become Coronators. This knowledge will serve them well since Experts are typically sent to Kings and Queens of varying realms to become jewelers of the royal family. This benefits the guild in two ways. First, the Expert builds the reputation of the Gem Cutters Guild when the royals of the land are seen in guild crafted jewelry. Since Experts are given the full support of Crossings, the jewelry they make is typically unrivaled. Secondly, having a member of the guild nestled in the higher echelons of society allows the guild to manipulate kingdoms for better profit, or any other schemes they see fit.
Most jewelcrafters stay at this level. They make massive amounts of money as they can craft truly unique and beautiful crowns, tiaras, scepters, and other larger pieces of jewelry out of materials non-guild jewelers can only dream about using. Some Experts enjoy the managerial aspects of guild life and keep tabs on the Novices and Journeymen from within Crossings. These are the Experts that field Journeymen's letters of recommendation.
Master a.k.a. "Quester"
Moving beyond Expert requires a true dedication to the craft. Experts must research new techniques that further the profession. This can only be done through travel. Courtly intrigues and tending to the wants of a king make it difficult to leave a city for an extended period of time. Thus an Expert must devise a way to slip their bonds. Often this is done by simply finding a replacement but the sinister rumors of Experts having a royal family murdered have never been entirely dismissed. Once travelling, Experts can use the trans-planar gateways that gives their guild hall its name. Experts must research ten novel ideas to present to three Masters. These Masters must then learn, use, and approve of these before they say if the Expert can be counted among their ranks. These novel ideas are typically discovering new styles of rings, new materials, or even new techniques to make jewelry more quickly and cheaply.
Questers have earned their moniker from the necessity for travel as well as their ability. Masters are at a level of jewelcrafting that adventurers will often be tempted to delve into ruins to find an object a Master has crafted, creating quests for others as well. Weapons and entire suits of armor can be created by a Master as well. These items are typically used for out of combat purposes but Masters have also learned how to inlay weapons and armor with gems to increase Hit or AC and imbue weapons with spells. They can combine various materials to bring out emergent properties previously unseen. They create their masterpieces typically from a lab type location they have established. These Gemmed Coves are supported by the Gem Cutters Guild, having portals to Crossings for easy access to the materials for their research and golems that guard their experiments, and are solicited and highly prized by kings. Royalty enjoy having a Gemmed Cove within their kingdom, preferably in their capital, for the masterpieces that come from them.
Grandmaster
In the simplest terms, Grandmasters are Masters who have specialized in one avenue of their research. Grandmasters have experimented for long enough, sampled from so many different styles and techniques, and used the rarest of materials to influence one vein of jewelcrafting beyond what should be possible. Much like how bards cast spells without magic, Grandmasters shape their creations in such a way that it impacts the weave of reality, invoking the desired effects. While Masters may research how gems can be inlaid into armor to produce abjuration magic, Grandmasters might shape the gems to be abjuration magic, serving as a pool of protection that responds to the wearers unspoken wants and needs. This level of crafting takes years to perfect, so long that human lives are often too short to achieve this goal. To date, no human jewelcrafters have reached Grandmaster status, dying before they can transcend from Master.
This transcendence is only mildly exaggerated. To be considered a Grandmaster, jewelcrafters must create something the world has never seen before. Something that will launch the Gem Cutters Guild even higher in the esteem of the masses. Often this creation is considered only feasible by gods and their mastery of existence. Because of this, the political maneuvers that may get a person to Master no longer work. It becomes very clear who can change a kingdom with a gem versus who can change the world.
Grandmasters' Gemmed Coves are unique landmarks, with specific names and regional effects. Amman's Rule and Spectra belong to the two known Corvayn Grandmasters, Sagolicus Brightpowder and Finnebeir Flith, respectively. There is a third rumored to be held in the north, inhabited by a lich who toils endlessly with souls and gems.
The Ruby Crown
The Ruby Crown is a fickle title. It does not necessarily mean that the owner is the most skilled in Jewelcrafting or even the most politically savvy. Instead, the official head of the Gem Cutters Guild is the person who's collected the most pernicious, damning secrets of the guild. This is the person who knows what research has been done and why that researcher no longer lives. The title is conferred from one jewelcrafter to another without a ceremony. By the time a new Ruby Crown has been crafted, everyone in the guild knows who will wear it since they've likely been approached in private so that it could be arranged before hand. The new head of the guild simply takes the crown and business resumes as normal. The uncharacteristic lack of fanfare and opulence reflects the backhanded manner in which the title is gained.
It is very rare that a Master or Grandmaster acquires the Crown. These jewelcrafters are often too invested in their research to pursue the political intrigues and sleuthing that's required to maneuver them into position. Experts have typically taken the job since they are more likely to enjoy the lofty position a title grants than the excellence research gives to Masters and Grandmasters. The fact that Sagolicus Brightpowder took the crown is scandalous enough to warrant investigation; creating his crown in one night to assume the role expediently nearly demands explanation. No one knows what caused such a shift in the murky upper echelons of the guild hierarchy or why such a skilled jewelcrafter was needed as suddenly as he was, but something dire has caused the guild to real in its best and brightest.
Payment & Reimbursement
Jewelcrafters are paid for the jewelry they create depending on their rank and the quality of the object. Prices are determined in a formula that looks more complicated than it is:
Price of Jewelry = ((Total value of gems used in piece x JC level modifier) + (Size of object x Type of metal used for seating gems)) x (Dex or Strength roll depending on size of object - 10 (cannot be below 1) + proficiency bonus)
where JC level modifier =
- 1 for Pebbleshapers
- 1.5 for Ringmakers
- 2 for Coronators
- 3 for Questers
- 5 for Grandmasters
Other Benefits
Many jewelcrafters join the profession for the access it grants them to the higher echelons of society. Once one becomes proficient, a jewelcrafter keeps company with lords and ladies, kings and archdukes rather than the unwashed masses. Even terrible coronators rub elbows with the elite of the land.
Others join the guild to explore the planes and push the boundaries of what can be shaped and worn. Few know the true depths to which this craft can be taken, but those that have an inkling rarely turn away from this pursuit.
Alternative Names
Jewelcrafting is colloquially known as gemcutting or stoneshaping by the illiterate plebians. It is often a sign of proper upbringing to refer to the craft by its proper name.
Type
Artisan
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