I make and sell rustics and they are very popular. I have made some lovely smooth red pillars for Christmas, but my oh my, get a scratch on it, or fingerprints and what a hassle to remove them. I have tried the nylon stocking trick to buff them up, but they do not remain shiny doing that and get a stray piece of wax on it and then buff that and well I may as well chuck it back in the pot. So how do you keep your smooth looking pillars looking good? Oh, and in answer to your question - I do not think a picture can do justice to a rustic, make a few and I am sure there will be someone who will like them.