I think this is my last idea for now.  I hope.  Anyway, I figure the reason it costs so much silver to remove Artifacts is because they become magically bonded to the wearer/wielder.  So, you're basically paying some wizard to undo the bonding in order to safely remove the gear.  But what if there was a Tinker Shop that could reduce the amount of silver you are required to pay to un-equip your gear?  Like the Sparring Pit, your Champion would need to stay in the Tinker Shop for a certain amount while the process is completed.  However, you could invest gems in order to reduce the time needed and to further reduce the amount of silver required to remove gear.