Gems and runes current usability for ladder

[Ax2Grind]

This is a tad different from the 'read through the MPQ and do the calculations' type of question. I'm more interested in actual value when it comes to storage.

For instance, for the longest time rubies were more valuable than most other gems due to blood glove crafting, but - at least in non-ladder - their worth seems to have dropped to all other gems with the new elite unique gloves out there. In ladder, however, it's been said they're still worth more than amethysts and they worth more than skulls which, in turn, are worth more than emeralds/diamonds with topazes/sapphires to follow. Because of this I horde rubies, never using them to reroll or to trade bulk general gems unless absolutely necessary. This seems to be backfiring since I can no longer find anyone to trade them to; no one seems to be trading for rubies.

Likewise for NEFs, which - with RALs and SOLs - were valuable for crafting. I've now started using the NEFs relentlessly in runeword testing (check other thread) and still have quite a few stashed. I want to know a few things from practices of all those here that still play:

Assuming I'm going to try upgrading as many uniques as I can, how many of each emerald/diamond should I hold (in relation to how many TAL/RAL/SOL/SHAEL and LUM/KO/LEM/PUL combinations) on mules?
Should I hold on to all these rubies or try crafting something (amulets with AMNs) myself with them?
At what point do I start using rubies, amethysts, etc. to do regular rerolls on skiller charms?
Overall, what are currently the most popular crafts?
Any other advice you could give that would allow me to slim my inventory would be helpful.

[Tarantella]

I'd keep the gems for crafting grand charms of the correct level. Some skillers are worth trading for higher runes if not useful for your own characters.

[Singollo]

in 09 i crafted blood rings ammys and gloves, caster ammys and belts and that was about it, use rest for rerolling gcs.

now i use all gems, but amethyst and skulls for rerolling. i find now that +2 sockets can spawn on diadems, the skulls are better used on rare diadems, trying to get druid, nec, sorc, pally diadems with +2 20fcr 2 sockets is what i am after, cant say for others. i use amethyst for caster ammys trying for +2 20fcr ammys. other then this i dont find much use for other gems then rerolling, socketing is a small % of them so i will not say anything abut this.

so yes all are keepable imo, i trade for gems all the time mostly just 40 random p gems for pul, putting skulls on 1 mule amethsyt an one, others to a rerolling guy

since you want to up uniques, id make 2 mules, 1 for diamonds, one for emerald, fill them up and you will not need to trade for them for them for a long time, its the runes you will find tobe hard to get

if you like to craft blood ammys, go for it and keep the rubys i know some ppl like good duel leech class ammys with stats

me i use gems as i get them and trade for them, i reroll diablo and baal (hell) gc for chance at skillers with 41-45

the best crafts to me are caster, as this seems to be the age of the caster and +2 druid, nec, sorc, ammys with 20fcr can be worth a lot to the right buyer. you should take some time and look though the trade forums everwhere and see what ppl are looking for

hope my reambles help :thumbsup:

[Ax2Grind]

Well, that's a little help, but I still have a ton of perfect rubies and would like to know at what point (24, 48, 96) should I start either crafting myself or rerolling the rubies with charms - and is the latter a waste of a good ruby/amethyst/skull?

An entire mule full of diamonds and another full of emeralds? Will I ever use that many upgrading? I'd think half a mule, tops, would be best. That way I can grab that one mule whenever I get the LEMs/KOs/PULs/LUMs.

[Taft12]

Interesting questions. At this point, I think the 1 pruby/pame=2 other pgems forumla is just no longer true. 1.5:1 is much more realistic, but even then rerolling has become so much more commonplace than crafting that finding buyers has become difficult. Additionally, I don't know of anyone that values skulls/emeralds/diamonds/topaz/sapphire differently.

How much upgrading do you do? Hanging on to a half-mule worth of diamonds and emeralds is more than I'll use in a lifetime! Since the runes are much harder to get, I never even thought about reserving diamonds or emeralds.