A lot of stuff just looks nicer if you have a bigger piece. I've made the mistake of cabbing a nice looking rock ... only to be disappointed in the cab. You have to have some tight or smaller detail to make a cab work for a lot of stuff. I slabbed a nice jade, ocean polished rock a few years ago ... it was beautiful as a ocean polished jade ... sucked as cabbing material. I am a "fixing" to do it again though ... have this really nice ocean polished teal colored jade piece from jade cove .... but I'm gonna slab it and see what it looks like. I guess its a matter of perspective or orientation ... if you collect agates you probably collect slabs or halves and love to look at them. I cut cabs and make jewelry ... so I'm always looking at rough with an eye to how I can cut it and make something out of it. I like a lot of rough in big sections ... Norrena jasper, some poppy jaspers, etc ... I cut small cabs mostly and they just lose their appeal in small cabs. I mostly go for color nowadays as I can make that work.
