SELECTION OF CARVING ROUGH
While it may seem that more latitude can be taken in respect to internal defects when choosing large rough for carvings, this is really not the case. As a matter of fact, it is far more difficult for the carver to obtain satisfactory rough than the cutter of gems. Because some types of carv¬ings require sections to be quite thin, such as the arms or legs of a statuette, even the slenderest of cracks cannot be tolerated unless the carver is able to adjust his design to place such defects where they will not be conspicuous. The Chinese carvers are past masters in disguising cracks and other defects, but this is facilitated by the complexity of their carvings which makes it easy to change the design slightly to accommodate any defect which happens to appear during carving. On the other hand, the traditions of Western art generally call for more simplicity, which implies the freer use of broad, smooth areas. This, of course, allows much less opportunity to alter the design if a defect appears. Cracks, patchy color areas, soft spots, and other defects are particularly unde¬sirable whenever large smooth areas are to be part of the carvings. These remarks apply equally to material which is to be used in bowls, large ash trays, book ends, and other massive objects.