Each sorcelglass takes one leather, one gold, and an indeterminate amount of magic ink. Upon creation, the sorcelglass patterns have five charges which may be applied to vial, bottle, or cup, as appropriate. Anyone may apply the sorcelglass pattern after it has been created; they must have commodities on hand in order for the pattern to be applied. There are currently three base designs available; others may be designed through bookbinding cartels.

Altered vials, bottles, cups, last twice as long as the regular item.

Does this mean we can now create:

a healing vial.
a mana vial.
a bromide vial.
a melancholic vial
a choleric vial
a sanguine vial
a phlegmatic vial
a love vial
a mending vial
a regeneration vial
a liniment vial
an antidote vial
an allheale vial
a vitae vial
a quicksilver vial

???

I'm like 400,000 gold short to get a cartel.

Most likely, yes. You can also make custom teacups and bottles.

What would be the purpose of doing this other than to have something pretty? It sounds awfully expensive to get custom bottles, cups, etc.

Getting something pretty isn't enough?

Vials will last twice as long, at least.

I can't tell if you're trolling or not.

If it doesn't help him grief, Narsrim doesn't care

I'm really quite serious.

I don't usually spend gold for items that don't have something special associated with them. I wouldn't own three music boxes, for example, if they didn't reduce regeneration. I'm trying to decide why I would ever pay extra gold for an item that has no actual difference other than a customized appearance when most people don't even see the bottles/vials/etc. other people hold.

The fact they last longer may provide some benefit so long as the cost to produce them isn't massively above this, but from first glance, it is.

My underlying concern is that I almost think of this as a joke to address how crappy Bookbinding is as a tradeskill. It's spiffy, it's special, it's also of no real value.

That depends on how you judge value. There is a large section of the game who are delighted to be able to hold tea parties, make custom cups, and be able to sell custom vial designs on the open market. It also provides something to sell aside from magic scrolls, which tend to be sold once, and very infrequently. And as noted, it doubles the effective age of the vials, which reduces the annoying frequency of vial loss.

Some people will want this, but it's entirely discretionary like Narsrim is pointing out.

You're both right.

Isn't this the argument made as exactly why Bookbinding/Artisan suck as tradeskills? Most people prefer flavor + utility instead of just flavor?

My response to this?

As someone who is watching their vials decay, the double life would be very nice.

It's probably cheaper to make new ones than this stuff. You'll just end up with more expensive vials decaying when they do decay.

Even if the cost of a double decay vial was significantly more than a replacement vial?

I would just rather not deal with it. I can't even make vials myself.

Spend an hour farming gold, buy credits, learn how to create vials.