Valefor.Mithano said:
Other than the glitch (which would be my guess), perhaps there's an unlisted subcraft on the recipie. That is, there actually is one, but wiki/ffxiah doesn't know about it. Anything else I can think of just seems too far out there to be a cause.
Even if that was the case though, I'd still have thought the NQ ring would force it, even if there was a subcraft ... sounds like a glitch to me (possibly even item-specific).
Even if the subcraft HQ's the Smithing never will. Anything that's Smithing main can't HQ, regardless of subcraft. That's not it... I'm going with Blazza's post really. I haven't noticed my ring glitching.