items with sockets come that way and sockets can not be placed into regular gear by anyone. it appears that all socketed items are either drops, quest rewards or high level crafted items available only to those who also have access to the outlands.
i suppose blizzard doesn't want to widen the gap between twinks and new players in the low level bgs any further. interestingly the new enchants available at +300 enchanting suggest the same as they have level cut offs specified now.
just because you are not 60+ doesn't mean that you can't benefit from jewelcrafting, there are many designs such as rings and neck pieces for the mid level players