Certain characteristics are pretty clear. The tools that a redsmith
makes are large and need to be hardened. We afre talkign here of
weapons, knives, plows, shovels, etc.
Jewelry is small and decorative, and generally doesn't need to be
enchanted or hardened at all.
> For example a needle is a tool which will normally
> be made out of bronze yet the skills to make it are closer to
> those of a jeweler than a smith. And given the source of bronze
> (the bones of dead gods) it is going to be used for jewelry,
> ornate and religious items as well.
Yes, so if bronze needles are necessary they'd be made by jewelers. But again, they wouldn't need to be hardened, etc. They simply aren't going to take the punishment that the tools take. I'd even think that bronze needles are luxury items--rare. Bone needles work pretty well, and can be made in a household, probably over the winter.
> There's probably room for a separate cult which has similar magic
> to Gustbran but the skills applicable to jewelry.
Certainly there would be a jewlers cult. I doubt he'd need enchantment in the same way. I can imagine something to magnify eyesight, or make links maybe, but not to harden things.
> Size probably
> much the same as Gustbran - one or two per clan.
I'd guess not. Jewlery is a luxury and definitely an elite item. The tools are far more common. Every farmer needs a hoe and shovel, every housewife needs scissors. But jewelry? A chief and the priess would want osmething,b ut in the nature of things they'd get it from the king or the temple.
So I'd guess that the ration of tool makers to jewelers is something like 50:1 or 100:1.
Issaries, Inc.
c/o Greg Stafford
1942 Channing Ave, #204
Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
Powered by hypermail