Just double checking, takes 2 diamonds to create each piece? One in the combine and another for the kit?
Maybe this will help you a bit. Sorry it's not 100% complete since not all databases are up to date yet. Click the links to view recipes. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XFYfo31UrT2mh6TVWxKMZCaqGYnW-VB3Rvfeyo1JAq4/edit?usp=sharing
I have made a bow and a Warrior weapon so far. They have required a raid diamond to make the kit, and another for the final combine. The Crestra earring is the only thing that needs a single raid diamond to complete (assuming no failure). The recipes were learned the hard way, and they did count towards the list of recipes for 350 skill. i failed once at making the fletching kit and the raid diamond was returned as an alternate product, not lost or crushed. I hope this answers your questions.
No it is not always returned, you can fail and get a crushed diamond. There is either an extremely low chance it will be turned into a crushed diamond on fail or a built in fail rate. Maybe was your Salvage AA? I have no information if the Drought of the Craftsman has any effect on success for these or not.
This. There is an alt fail for the kit's themselves. (not the combine with the kit) To get an alt fail, you have to fail but ALMOST succeed. it's a small but non-zero chance, and only on a failure not a success. The alt-fail is crushed diamond. Most of the time if you fail, you'll get the raid diamond.
What I'm wondering is why these recipes don't count toward a skill up on the tradeskill for a skill up 301-350. Didn't see any of the vendor sold recipe books have "scribe" button, so there was no easy path to learn these recipes.
If you're talking about the group recipes then... yes, they actually do count. I got skillups in Tailoring and Smithing today from learning the various armor set recipes. Not everything should have the "easy" way to learn it IMO by just clicking scribe.
The kit portion I believe does count - the final raid combination is no-fail. I'd rather it stay no-fail than count for skill-ups...
I've learned about 20+ of each of the group smithing, tailoring, jewelry making recipes, have not seen a skill up, unless the threshold is something ridiculous. I was under the assumption that its 8 new recipes learned per skill up post 300. And by the way, there is no easy way to learn the group recipes unless somehow I missed a vendor that had a book that had a scribable book. All the books I bought from the vendors didn't have the "scribe" button.
That's the problem right there. I've only done Fletching so far, but it was 18 new recipes per skillup.
Perhaps you heard that it takes 8 skillups to advance the Artisan's Prize by 1% - and misunderstood that
Correct. Kit combines counts, the final combine does not as it is no-fail, and auto-learned, which negates the 301 to 350 "skill-up".
Since we're on the topic of TS gear... any update on getting bracer foci and BP clicks on that Enchanter armor like every other class? Hoping maybe it's in the February patch...