Preferred Finish for scales

What seems to be the most often preferred finish to apply to wood scales, ployurethane, lacqer, varnish, or mirror coat and why? Also, I saw some knife handle blanks on line made of torqoiuse bonded in apoxy. They were beautiful but way to small to use for scales. Anyone know where I could find this material in suitable size and does anyone have any experience with its use?

it really depends on the wood. Some that are oily have issues with Poly and some have better grain pop with different finishes. I vote you take a piece of wood and cut a few blocks out and try a finish on each piece to see what you like best.