Update: It would seem that Cataclysm epic gems are dropping from Deathwing raid only. However, there will most likely be other ways to obtain them later on if people QQ enough. Prospecting? Not likely anymore. Loot bags? Transmutation? Perhaps. If they are BOE, there's gold to be made!--------------------------------------------
It's almost certain that after a patch or two, most likely patch 4.3, you can receive new epic gems by prospecting Pyrite Ore. There is also a super small chance (Considering titanium was at some point not prospectable) that a new ore or some other way to receive the gems will be introduced, but it's worth a small investment, let's say 5000g!
Pyrite's price has been steadily dropping and I've managed to snatch lots of them for even 20g/stack. Even now they give profit just from the green and blue gems, but once they start giving epics too, the profit is just ridiculous. If you're the first one selling a certain gem, you can even ask 1000g for one cut, and once others have the same design too, even 300g per gem profit is still likely.
How much gold is there to be made from Pyrite?
The chance to get a epic gem from 5 ores will most likely be around 27% like previously, so you will obtain loads of them if you start stockpiling today. But remember, they are months away most likely, so there is no hurry. Buy some when you see them cheap; and don't forget to create a guild and use the bigger bank!
I will create an another post regarding which designs to go for in order to get the maximum amount of gold, once the time has come.
During Wrath I almost reached gold cap from nearly half-way just from prospecting Wrath equals once the epic gems were available. I had my banks full of Tit ore!
And because you can't make lots of gold from Pyrite yet, I'll give 2 bonus tricks on how to make gold by prospecting!
Older Ores are still extremely valuable
Even if most don't need Wrath epic gems anymore, you can still make a huge profit off them. So while browsing for Pyrite Ore, search for Titanium Ore aswell while at it. You wouldn't believe how cheap it goes sometimes, and red gems are extremely valuable!
Other items to keep an eye on are TBC gems, prospected from Adamantite and Fel Iron Ore. Fel Iron Ore is often more expensive than Adamantite, so biggest profit comes from Adamantite in most cases.
The profit comes from uncut green gems which are needed by Jewelcrafters in order to level up. These can be sold for even 30g each if no one else is selling them (which usually is the case), meaning a prospected stack can give even 240g back! A stack of these ores cost about 20g on a good day; and sometimes a whopping 100g. Still, the profit is there!
If you choose to prospect Adamantite Ore, you will get Adamantite Powder too which I've sold for 70-150g each when no one else is selling. These too are the only way to level past a certain point, so people are ready to pay!
Here's a list of ores that have given me the best profit when prospected, so if you see some going cheap, try it out! You can give Copper Ore a try also, it's cheap but the gems aren't that valuable usually. And if no one is selling amulets and rings you could make from the gems, there's even larger profit to be made!
- Iron Ore
- Mithril Or
- Thorium Ore
- Fel Iron Ore
- Adamantite Ore
- Saronite Ore
- Titanium Ore
- Obsidium Ore
- Elementium Ore
- Pyrite Ore (Not yet!)
All the low level ores give green gems that are often valuable when sold as they are. There is no point asking for less than 25g for a Star Ruby or a Jade for example.
Check the gem availability before prospecting, just to be safe! And if people start undercutting you, don't worry. JCs need lots of them! But if the prices go too low, it's a good idea to buy the 1-12g gems and relist them for their proper price!
