I'll try to keep this short because a lot of other ideas can spin off of this but you guys will get the idea 
Let's say we have this item:
Fortified Feathered Hat Of Sorcery
Intelligence Bonus 4
Mana Increase 8
Mana Regeneration 3
Physical Resist 20%
Fire Resist 25%
Cold Resist 24%
Poison Resist 20%
Energy Resist 20%
What if there was an item (similar to a whetstone) that could be used on this feathered hat that could re-roll the stats on the item?
It could be restricted (much like the reforging process) to only re-roll stats on specific affixes. Maybe have different levels of this item, a lower level item would only do one affix, a medium level one would do two and possibly a higher one to re-roll all the stats on the item (with great risk and reward.)
What if there was a skilled craftsman that could refine items?
These items have property weight, why not have add in a craftsman with the ability to shift stats around on the item. At lower levels the craftsman could shift stats around but in the end possibly lose some overall property weight. Even a legendary craftsman could sometimes end up losing property weight on rare artifact!
Let's say we have this item:
Fortified Feathered Hat Of Sorcery
Intelligence Bonus 4
Mana Increase 8
Mana Regeneration 3
Physical Resist 20%
Fire Resist 25%
Cold Resist 24%
Poison Resist 20%
Energy Resist 20%
What if there was an item (similar to a whetstone) that could be used on this feathered hat that could re-roll the stats on the item?
It could be restricted (much like the reforging process) to only re-roll stats on specific affixes. Maybe have different levels of this item, a lower level item would only do one affix, a medium level one would do two and possibly a higher one to re-roll all the stats on the item (with great risk and reward.)
What if there was a skilled craftsman that could refine items?
These items have property weight, why not have add in a craftsman with the ability to shift stats around on the item. At lower levels the craftsman could shift stats around but in the end possibly lose some overall property weight. Even a legendary craftsman could sometimes end up losing property weight on rare artifact!