Jeweler’s Guild
the Jeweler’s Guild creates valuable items out of precious stones. This powerful guild has quite a different organization than most guilds, owing to the diversity of tasks that it has assumed—mostly out of the talents and profits of other guilds.
- Diamond and other precious stone cutters [broke away from the mason’t Guild]
- Precious metal plating and working [broke away from the blacksmiths guild]
- Traders of precious final goods [ broke away from the Merchant’s guild]
Things started with the Miner’s guild finding the stones, but not having the skills to work them into anything that the rich would pay for. The Merchant’s guild was (and still is) paid to ship these raw stones from the mines (owned by a very small number of wealthy aristocrats) to a very select group of stonemason’s who could cut the stones without ruining them. These capable, valuable men decided that they would do better growing the Guild away from the lucrative business of temple building and into the arena of owning fine jewelry. After all, gold and silver are fine, but nothing is better than a large diamond or ruby. They bribed the Stonemason Guild leadership with positions, estates and personal income to allow them to form the Jeweler’s Guild. These short-sighted individuals agreed and the guild was formed. Next up was to lure the metalsmiths from the Blacksmith’s Guild. This is occurring now with many Master Metalsmiths pledging fealty to the Jeweler’s Guild. The Blacksmith’s guild is trying to stop this, but the power of the Jeweler’s Guild is simply too strong. Finally, the Jeweler’s Guild has entered into an agreement with the Merchant’s Guild allowing them to sell their own Jewelry, much like the other craft guilds.