Handiwork – Skill progression & money guide (Level 0 → Level 10)
In my rotational play I’m testing different money-making skills with Zois dedicated to a single skill. Since I noted everything down for future reference, I’m sharing my Handiwork observations here.
Settings: 96-minute day
Quick Summary
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Handiwork is one of the most lucrative skills (together with Painting), mainly because Premium Tools unlock very early (Level 2) and sell for good profit.
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Ordinary tools sold from inventory usually only give you the craft cost back (no profit). Market Stand can add profit, but costs time and isn’t guaranteed.
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Premium tools can be sold directly from inventory for strong profit, even if you buy materials.
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Best “stable” money maker: Gold Premium Pickaxe (fast craft, high margin).
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Jewel Watering Can / Jewel Rake are usually not ideal for profit farming because raw diamonds are rare and margins are weaker than premium pickaxes.
Craft timings (baselines)
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Crafting a tool: ~16–18 min
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Gem cutting: ~19–20 min
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Jack-o’-Lantern crafting: ~20 min (but very low skill gain compared to tool crafting)
Leveling speed (time to level up)
Handiwork leveling time is not consistent; it swings a lot depending on level and what you craft.
| Level-up | Time to level up | Tools crafted (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 0 → 1 | ~1h25 | 5 tools | Ordinary tools only |
| Level 1 → 2 | ~1h40 | 6 tools | — |
| Level 2 → 3 | ~1h00–1h10 | 4 tools | Premium tools unlock |
| Level 3 → 4 | ~2h00–2h20 | 7 tools | — |
| Level 4 → 5 | ~1h25 | 4 tools + 1 gem cut | — |
| Level 5 → 6 | ~3h30 | 12 tools | Jewel can/rake unlock |
| Level 6 → 7 | ~3h30 | ~10–12 tools | Lanterns tested (not representative XP) |
| Level 7 → 8 | ~4h50 | 17 tools | — |
| Level 8 → 9 | ~2h15 | 8 tools | — |
| Level 9 → 10 | ~6h30 | 23 tools | Longest stretch |
Unlocks by level (with craft/cut costs)
Level 0 (ordinary tools + first gem cut)
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Ordinary tools available:
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Stone Pickaxe, Wooden Fishing Rod, Basic Watering Can, Stone Rake
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Craft cost: 200 Mew each (no additional materials)
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Gem cut: Round (cut cost 10 Mew)
Level 1
- Gem cut: Oval (cut cost 15 Mew)
Level 2 (big milestone)
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Premium Tools unlock: Premium Pickaxe + Premium Fishing Rod
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Craft cost: 300 Mew each (plus materials)
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Materials: 2× twig + 2× ordinary rock + 1× metal (Copper / Iron / Silver / Gold / Raw Diamond)
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Level 3
- Gem cut: Pear (cut cost 20 Mew)
Level 5 (Jewel tools + Square cut)
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Jewel Watering Can + Jewel Rake unlock
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Craft cost: 300 Mew + 2× twig + 2× ordinary rock + 1× raw diamond
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Inventory sell value: 600 Mew each
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Profit note: usually not great for farming profit (raw diamonds are rare; margins weaker than premium pickaxes)
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Gem cut: Square (cut cost 25 Mew)
Level 7
- Gem cut: Heart (cut cost 30 Mew)
Level 9
- Gem cut: Star (cut cost 40 Mew)
Level 10
- Gem cuts: Kitty Paw + Noble (cut cost 50 Mew)
Premium Tools: costs, sell prices, and profit tables
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Premium craft cost: 300 Mew
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Common materials: 2× twig + 2× ordinary rock
- If bought: twig 1 Mew each + rock 1 Mew each → 4 Mew total
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Ore prices (if bought): Copper 4 • Iron 8 • Silver 25 • Gold 65
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Raw Diamond: not buyable; “raw value” = 300
Premium Pickaxe (inventory sale)
| Metal | Ore cost (buy) | Total cost if buying material (300 + 4 + ore) | Inventory sell | Profit (buy material) | Profit (gather everything)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | 4 | 308 | 350 | +42 | +50 |
| Iron | 8 | 312 | 500 | +188 | +200 |
| Silver | 25 | 329 | 900 | +571 | +600 |
| Gold | 65 | 369 | 1200 | +831 | +900 |
| Jewel (Raw Diamond) | — | — | 3000 | — | — |
*“Gather everything” here means you count only the 300 craft cost as your expense (no purchased ore/twigs/rocks).
Premium Fishing Rod (inventory sale)
| Metal | Ore cost (buy) | Total cost if buying mats (300 + 4 + ore) | Inventory sell | Profit (buy mats) | Profit (if you gather everything)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | 4 | 308 | 250 | −58 | −50 |
| Iron | 8 | 312 | 300 | −12 | 0 |
| Silver | 25 | 329 | 400 | +71 | +100 |
| Gold | 65 | 369 | 600 | +231 | +300 |
| Jewel (Raw Diamond) | — | — | 1500 | — | — |
Practical takeaway
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Gold Pickaxe is the best “buy everything and sell from inventory” money printer (~+831 Mew per craft).
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Fishing rods are weaker margins: Copper/Iron rods can be zero/negative if you buy materials; Silver/Gold rods are okay but still behind pickaxes.
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Jewel tools look huge, but raw diamonds are scarce—so they’re great when you have a lot of diamonds, not a stable farming baseline.
Gem cutting: value multipliers (with % increase)
Gem cutting takes ~19–20 min and costs Mew. Based on the measured value changes, gem cuts behave like fixed multipliers (the % increase stays the same even for more expensive gems).
Cut multipliers (per cut type)
| Cut | Cost | Multiplier | % increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | 10 | ×1.05 | +5% |
| Oval | 15 | ×1.05 | +5% |
| Pear | 20 | ×1.10 | +10% |
| Square | 25 | ×1.20 | +20% |
| Heart | 30 | ×1.30 | +30% |
| Star | 40 | ×1.40 | +40% |
| Noble | 50 | ×1.50 | +50% |
| Kitty Paw | 50 | ×1.50 | +50% |
Kitty Paw sanity check (different base gem values)
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Base 80 → 120 (+50%)
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Base 90 → 135 (+50%)
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Base 300 → 450 (+50%)
Break-even (simple rule)
A cut only pays for itself if the value increase is larger than the cut fee. Rough break-even base values:
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Noble / Kitty Paw (+50%, cost 50): worth it if base value is over ~100
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Star (+40%, cost 40): worth it if base value is over ~100
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Heart (+30%, cost 30): worth it if base value is over ~100
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Square (+20%, cost 25): worth it if base value is over ~125
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Pear (+10%, cost 20): worth it if base value is over ~200
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Round (+5%, cost 10): worth it if base value is over ~200
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Oval (+5%, cost 15): worth it if base value is over ~300
Practical takeaway: For low-value gems (base ~80–90), most cuts aren’t great for profit. Cuts become attractive once you start finding higher base-value gems—especially the +50% cuts.
Jack-o’-Lantern crafting (low XP, mostly cosmetic)
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Takes ~20 min but gives very little skill gain compared to making tools.
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Masks unlock by level:
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Level 0: Jack-o’-Lantern Pumpkin Mask (cost 10; needs pumpkin)
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Level 1: Large Jack-o’-Lantern Pumpkin Mask (cost 20; needs large pumpkin)
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Level 2: Glowing Jack-o’-Lantern Pumpkin Mask (cost 30; needs rare star pumpkin)
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Level 3: Gem Jack-o’-Lantern Pumpkin Mask (cost 40; needs gem pumpkin)
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Best strategy (leveling + money)
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Level 0–1: craft ordinary tools to level (no profit via inventory sales).
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From Level 2 onward: switch to Premium Pickaxes asap for both XP and money.
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If you buy materials, Gold Pickaxe is the best consistent profit/time (≈ 831 Mew profit per ~17 min).
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Market Stand can add profit, but costs time and sometimes nothing sells.
Update (Status August 2026): Wooden Sculptures
One of the last patches added a new set of Wooden Sculptures to Handiwork. I tested their crafting time, costs and sell values separately from the original guide.
All sculptures take only ~7 minutes to craft, regardless of unlock level.
The quality/value progression is very consistent:
Medium = 25% • Good = 50% • Excellent = 75% • Perfect = 100%
For values that do not divide evenly, the game appears to round down.
Example: Cat Perfect = 90 → Excellent = 67 • Good = 45 • Medium = 22.
Bad quality does not yet have enough confirmed values for me to derive a reliable pattern, so I have left it out.
Wooden Sculptures – base values
| Unlock | Sculpture | Craft Cost | Time | Medium | Good | Excellent | Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L0 | Heart | 5 | ~7 min | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 |
| L0 | Mini Tree | 5 | ~7 min | 7 | 14 | 21 | 28 |
| L0 | Crescent Moon | 5 | ~7 min | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 |
| L0 | Bunny Doll | 5 | ~7 min | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 |
| L0 | Baby Teddy | 5 | ~7 min | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 |
| L4 | Cat | 15 | ~7 min | 22 | 45 | 67 | 90 |
| L4 | Bear | 15 | ~7 min | 27 | 55 | 82 | 110 |
| L4 | Lion | 15 | ~7 min | 32 | 65 | 97 | 130 |
| L4 | Squirrel | 15 | ~7 min | 35 | 70 | 105 | 140 |
| L7 | Heart of Infinity | 30 | ~7 min | 60 | 120 | 180 | 240 |
| L7 | Tree of Life | 30 | ~7 min | 70 | 140 | 210 | 280 |
| L7 | Flower & Branch | 30 | ~7 min | 75 | 150 | 225 | 300 |
Best sculptures for inventory selling
Because every sculpture takes approximately the same 7 minutes, the higher-level versions are much more efficient.
| Sculpture | Quality | Sell | Cost | Profit | Profit/min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heart of Infinity | Excellent | 180 | 30 | 150 | ~21.4 |
| Heart of Infinity | Perfect | 240 | 30 | 210 | ~30.0 |
| Tree of Life | Excellent | 210 | 30 | 180 | ~25.7 |
| Tree of Life | Perfect | 280 | 30 | 250 | ~35.7 |
| Flower & Branch | Excellent | 225 | 30 | 195 | ~27.9 |
| Flower & Branch | Perfect | 300 | 30 | 270 | ~38.6 |
So among the new sculptures:
Flower & Branch > Tree of Life > Heart of Infinity
for pure inventory profit.
Does this replace the Gold Pickaxe strategy?
No.
The sculptures are very fast to craft and require very little money upfront, but the Gold Pickaxe remains the stronger direct Handiwork money-maker.
Using the same values from my original tests:
| Gold Pickaxe | Flower & Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Unlock | L2 | L7 |
| Craft time | ~17 min | ~7 min |
| Cost | ~369* | 30 |
| Sell value | 1,200 | 225 Excellent / 300 Perfect |
| Profit | ~831 | 195 Excellent / 270 Perfect |
| Profit/min | ~48.9 | ~27.9 Excellent / ~38.6 Perfect |
*Using bought materials.
Even if every Flower & Branch sculpture were Perfect, the Gold Pickaxe still wins on profit per crafting minute:
Gold Pickaxe: ~48.9 Mew/min
Perfect Flower & Branch: ~38.6 Mew/min
In the ~17 minutes required to make one Gold Pickaxe, I could theoretically make about 2.4 Flower & Branch sculptures.
At Perfect quality:
2.4 × 270 ≈ 656 profit
compared with approximately:
831 profit from one Gold Pickaxe
So even under ideal conditions for the sculpture, the Pickaxe is still roughly 27% better.
With the much more realistic Excellent quality, the difference becomes considerably larger.
Strategy (August 2026)
The update therefore does not change my main Handiwork money strategy:
Gold Pickaxe — still the best regular Handiwork crafting loop for pure profit
Flower & Branch — best Wooden Sculpture and a very good fast-crafting alternative
Tree of Life — slightly behind Flower & Branch
The main advantage of sculptures is different: they are fast, cheap and require very little upfront investment. A Flower & Branch only costs 30 to craft and takes ~7 minutes, making sculptures a convenient alternative if I don’t want to buy the more expensive materials needed for Premium Tools.
But for maximum Mew per crafting minute, I would still make Gold Pickaxes.
Early Business observation
I have only started collecting Business values for sculptures, so I am not adding a full Business comparison yet.
The 0★ tests already show a very consistent pattern:
0★ Business sell ≈ Base value × 2.5, with the result apparently rounded down.
Examples:
- Tree of Life Perfect: 280 → sell for 700
- Flower & Branch Excellent: 225 → sell for 562
- Squirrel Medium: 35 → sell for 87
- Cat Excellent: 67 → sell for 167
I’ll add the full Business scaling once I have enough values from the higher ★ levels.
. I play in family rotation as well and I’m going to use your Handiwork list.
my zoi only stays focused for about 5m so I will have to find a way to keep focused as his main emotion
By the way there are some ambitions where you really easily can get the first stage achieved within 1-2 in-game hours like fitness master or knowledge seeker and some others as well. That way you can easily gather some points to get the donuts.