I have been Looking around the guild wars websites trying to find what the rare Materials such as
...Bolt of Damask
Deldrimoor Steel ingot
Ruby
Sapphire
Obsidian Shard
Elonian Leather Square
Spiritwood Plank...

What are these things for? Are they just to sell for cash...or do they add some attribute if you use them in crafting instead of say a regular wood plank?

Vanity armour.

so in other words you might as well sell for cash....grrrr

unless you have a large sum of cash lying around, in which case you buy the vanity armor ;)

I don't think rubies and sapphires are actually used to craft anything, though.

Yet

I remember all the people buying thoes up before SF came out, thinking there'd be places to spend them. The price dropped when everyone found out they still weren't used for anything. You can buy them in anticipation of the next chapter, but I still haven't seen anything to suggest they will ever have a use.

i am currently stock pilling massive crafting and gold for the expansion so i dont have to press for more and more when it comes out