Would having the curse half the max quality of all items (that have a quality, eg swords, armors etc) be an acceptable solution?
That way, there's still a penalty - half damage from weapons (with half the quality), half protection from armor, and (later) when mining is affected by the quality of the tools, same effect there.
It would stop the 'make a cup of tea for 30 min' effect, and also create a further need for items (helping the economy)