Prospecting in Cataclysm

 
Here are my numbers for prospecting so far in Cataclysm. So far, aside from helping to level both Alchemy and Jewelcrafting it is looking quite profitable.

Here are my results for [Obsidium Ore] and [Elementium Ore].

The biggest difference is the number of rare gems gained from Elementium, but both sets of prospecting have a similar total yield of gems. Early on in the expansion, uncommon gems have been used for leveling and transmuting and are actually more expensive in a lot of cases than rare gems. So when Obsidium ore is cheap, it's a great way to help level Alchemy and transmute some meta gems. Cut rare gems are quite profitable if you pick the right pattern, and have as little competition as possible while still picking a highly desired cut that sells well.

The "Cost per Gem" figure is reasonably crude, since the value of gems varies a lot from gem to gem, and is changing fairly quickly. At the time of writing it represented a large markup in selling raw gems, but as the price of gems and ore comes down, transmuting and cutting the gems will help the raw gems retain their profitability.

Obsidiun Ore	550
Number of Prospects	110
Cost Obsidiau Ore	11.4
Cost per Prospect	57
Total Cost	6270

Uncommon Gem		Rare Gem
[Alicite]	34	[Amberjewel]	4
[Jasper]	28	[Dream Emerald]	1
[Zephyrite]	32	[Ocean Sapphire]	0
[Nightstone]	24	[Demonseye]	1
[Carnelian]	23	[Inferno Ruby]	0
[Hessonite]	26	[Ember Topaz]	3
Total	138		37

Yield Common	1.52
Yield Rare	0.08
Cost per Gem	37.54

Elementium Ore	1080
Number of Prospects	216
Cost Elementium Ore	11
Cost per Prospect	55
Total Cost	11880

Uncommon Gem		Rare Gem
[Alicite]	34	[Amberjewel]	6
[Jasper]	44	[Dream Emerald]	13
[Zephyrite]	39	[Ocean Sapphire]	8
[Nightstone]	34	[Demonseye]	9
[Carnelian]	43	[Inferno Ruby]	12
[Hessonite]	47	[Ember Topaz]	14
Total	241		62

Yield Common	1.12
Yield Rare	0.29
Cost per Gem	39.21