This is untrue. If you quicksave from a far distance before mining Malachite veins, you can collect up to 4 gems per vein, though it is very rare. It takes lots of patience, but its not uncommon to grab 2 from one vein. Same with armor you win from battles and quests.
The results are the same as per the EXP and gold, and the QUALITY of the item. AKA - 1 legendary item or 1 heroic item. But not the enchantments or stats that come with it. This is why I save before I loot anything I know is going to yield big returns.
