Tiffany, the way I chose to behead the cuspidata is really the only way it can be beheaded, at least given the short stem that plant produces, and the slowness in producing it.
There is a relative advantage to beheading within the rosette, as opposed to below it, for some (many/most) plants within this group. Plants that do not tend to branch much on their own will branch a whole lot more (relatively speaking) when the cut is made above leafy stem.
I would think at some level the stem closest to the growth point is most "alive" (this applies to branching and it also applies to rooting) and the further the cut is from leafy growth, the lower the probability of these events occurring in a timely and efficient manner.
For some plants, considerations like this are absurd (the propagation will work regardless), but there are some plants where it actually matters. Perhaps in the case of this short-stemmed, solitary plant. In the extreme case (or in the case of bad aim), one might cut so high in the stem that there is not really a cutting left afterward that can be propagated. But coring gives you the highest probability of branching afterward, and sometimes that is the main goal.
In any case I do appreciate that these little journeys off the beaten path are entertaining, if nothing else.
