Is it Worth Keeping Jewels in Diablo 2?
Without question, players absolutely should make an effort to collect and keep jewels while playing Diablo 2. Well-rolled jewels can provide tremendous offensive and defensive boosts when socketed into gear. Their inherent stats and affixes enhance characters far beyond what is possible with normal gems.
Many high-demand builds rely on specific unique and rare jewels to enable their peak damage, survivability, or magic find. Over time a stash of valuable jewels can also be traded for elite gear or high runes. Their power, flexibility, and scarcity cement jewels as long-term assets for all characters.
Jewel Fundamentals
Jewels come in three varieties, with random attributes just like other Diablo 2 items.
- Magic Jewels: Blue text. Guaranteed to have one prefix and one suffix.
- Rare Jewels: Yellow text. Has 3-6 random prefixes and suffixes.
- Unique Jewels: Gold text. Fixed stats with preset values. Very rare but build-defining.
| Type | Max Prefixes | Max Suffixes |
|---|---|---|
| Magic | 1 | 1 |
| Rare | 3 | 3 |
| Unique | N/A | N/A |
While all jewels have value, higher quality tiers with desired stats are much more scarce and in demand. Unique jewels in particular enable some of the most powerful character builds.
Enhancing Gear
To benefit from jewels, players must socket them into weapons and armor with open slots. The bonuses then apply passively with no need to activate the jewels.
Well-rolled rare jewels can provide double-digit bonuses to individual skills or stats. For example adding +15-20 to a primary skill like Frozen Orb or Lightning Fury boosts damage enormously. Defensively, high single resistances, faster hit recovery, and enhanced defense also protect against threats.
| Sample Jewel Roll | Avg Stat Gain |
|---|---|
| 40% Enhanced Damage | +320-800 Attack Rating |
| 20% Increased Attack Speed | ~850% DPS |
| +15-20 To Primary Skill | 200%+ Skill Damage |
| +50 To Life | 10% Life Per Jewel |
Runeword items also leverage unique jewels for big stat gains. An Unbending Will elite polearm gains +3 All Skills when socketed with the unique jewel Rainbow Facet. This enables much stronger Concentration meditation auras on Blessed Hammer paladins.
Trading Value
When it comes to trading, jewels provide outstanding flexibility. Their inherently random stats allow valuation based on demand from popular builds and roles.
Certain combinations like +Fire Skill Damage or Magic Find paired with Resistances fetch very high prices. Faster Run/Walk and stat boosts are also desirable. Players stockpile vast jewel collections over time to facilitate major trades.
As the premiere Diablo 2 currency, High Runes can be acquired by bundling many Lesser jewels together. An Ist rune may cost 40 PGems during early ladder, or 8-10 partially rolled Rare jewels later on.
Long-Term Viability
While leveling, gems and gold feel very important. But for endgame gearing, the smart player focuses efforts on runes, jewels, charms, and corruptions instead. These scarce resources gate the true height of a character‘s potential.
Over long ladders, common gems lose most value due to plentiful supply. Yet an early start on jewels pays back tenfold in the late seasons. Their gear and trading influence only become more vital in time.
In summary: Boosting your offense and defense with the multi-faceted power of jewels is utterly game-changing. A D2 player looking to control their destiny would be foolish not to save and trade every jewel they find!
