If you pick up "any old stone" and try to carve it, you could be setting yourself up for more troubles and heartaches then if you take a little time and test the stone.
The first "test" is to visually inspect the stone on all sides for any imperfections. Imperfections include cracks and soft spots, veins of different materials (harder or softer than the main stone.) These flaws can lead to the stone breaking or perhaps challenging the sculptor due to the differences in tools and techniques required.
Look at all sides of the stone for obvious imperfections. Because stones are natural, there will be (naturally) imperfections. Some will be hidden inside and you won't know they are there. Others will be glaring.
Some imperfections add "personality" or "character" and you may be tempted to work around them. These imperfections include imbedded crystals and fossils, and stones with big holes or pockets in them. While these may be beautiful to look at and could possibly be worked into an awesome piece by an advanced carver, they indicate that the stone has different levels of hardness which makes carver more of a challenge.
For a beginner, it is recommended that you have as few imperfections as possible. A stone that is consistent throughout in grain and character will be much easier for you to carve.
Tomorrow in Testing Stones for Carving, Part 2 I'll teach you the first test I ever learned!
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