Gem cutting & breakage
What the store confirms
- Examine rough minerals, remove impurities, carve facets; every mineral behaves differently.
- “Cutting precision and the natural traits of the original mineral both affect its final value.” (demo store)
- Patch 0.2.11 added tutorial entries for tool processing levels and separating gems.
Damage rule (Steam discussion — player-confirmed)
From Steam Discussions (Zebrion):
- Tools expose a hardness or toughness rating you can raise/lower as the tool upgrades.
- There is a hidden floor of 1 on the secondary stat the tool does not advertise.
- A tool within 1 level of the gem/material you strike can add breakage.
- Two+ levels below → that tool should not damage the gem when working nearby.
- Tune to the medium (rock) you are removing, not the gem’s peak hardness.
Stress points / weak spots
Players describe marked stress points that propagate shock through the stone — useful for bulk rock when your tool is safely below gem stats, risky when numbers are close. Unverified as exact math; treat as community technique, not a data table.
Acid etching (player tip)
On the same breakage thread, a player suggests acid can eat high-breakage surface so a cleaner face remains — and warns it can also eat healthy gem quickly. Unverified beyond that thread
Exterior vs interior gems
Another reply claims exterior gems often spawn with pre-damage; internal gems exposed via weak points tend toward lower starting breakage. Again: player observation, not store text.
Extract, then facet
- Extract the mineral from waste rock with tools set to the medium.
- Separate gems (tutorial entry exists in 0.2.11).
- Choose a faceting / cut method that matches the commission’s cut shape family.
- Set into jewelry fittings when the commission requires a finished piece.
We do not publish invented hardness charts, price lists, or “best shape” rankings until they can be cited from official notes or reproducible demo checks.