Hello EMC, I ask a question, which of the two, emeralds or quartz (blocks or not), would be considered more valuable or more sought after as a high traffic trade item? And, why?
Emerald does have more value but I chose quartz. Quartz is in very high demand and can be crafted into may different forms. It is a gorgeous block with high demand and is not too hard to get. Emeralds are high in value and infinite villagers make them easy to get. When 1.8 comes out it will cause them to sky rocket, but will make them harder to get. Emerald is pretty but it very pricey for a normal building item so it has not as much demand. If you have gear and potions, it is easy to go out in the nether and get quartz. You can have 4 forms of quartz while you can have two forums of emerald. Quartz is a cheaper and just as elegant alternative to emerald blocks.
I voted Emeralds. Quartz is currently popular as a building material but in the long term will be just one of many blocks. Its uses in Redstone are limited. I see advantages/disadvantages to both, really. Although it is not as popular a building material, there are many people trading Emeralds for multiple items and I expect it will continue to be a popular in the future. Emerald trading has no risk compared to Quartz mining. On the other hand, I think it is more of a grind than mining. If you mean high traffic as in sell a lot now, then some sort of Quartz might be better until it becomes a less popular block. There are some new blocks coming in 1.8 so that may be soon. It is hard to say how the Villager changes in 1.8 will affect Emeralds. I think it will depend a lot on what happens with infinite Villagers. Some of the changes I've heard of will actually make it more popular right after the update.
Then go with your gut. I noticed you voted for quartz so do that. I would think that is smart so go ahead. I think it is great over emerald. If you are leaning towards quartz, go for it. I think that is the wisest anyways.
Infinite villagers break in 1.8 and then emeralds are now somewhat harder to get since you have to re-eggify villagers. Prices are not going to skyrocket but they will go up a bit. Infinite villagers keep their trades but do not work. They don't stay infinite (some people say they will but they do not).