Claddagh pin

So I decided to mend the broken carving. I sheared off the tip of a small sewing needle, then used it to reattach the broken piece. After a linseed oil soak I think it looks pretty good!

Only I didn't say fudge...

Why do carvings only break when they're almost done? Although this claddagh is no longer a "one piece carving," I am very tempted in this case to reattach the offending chip and call it macaroni. Frustrations aside, is a broken and glued carving still a whittlin? Or is it, being infected with a foreign adhesive, some lesser thing?