The frame is selective

A lens shows one angle, one exposure and one moment of surface preparation. Wetting can deepen apparent color; directional light can make a thin edge seem more translucent. Compression may erase fine fractures.

Carved Maya jadeite head pendant, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Open Access object image, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; public domain.

What remains hidden

A window may miss internal cracks, pale zones, coarse areas or changes in color direction. Even a cut face is only a plane through a three-dimensional material. Claims of certainty from a handful of images exceed the evidence.

Olmec jadeite pendant, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Open Access object image, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; public domain.

A disciplined remote review

Request dry and wet views, neutral light, video rotation without beauty filters, dimensions, weight if relevant and close-ups of every exposed face. Treat the result as preliminary observation, never a promise of outcome.

Polished Olmec jadeite celt-pendant, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Open Access object image, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; public domain.

Research basis

Independently written from public information supplied by GIA, Smithsonian and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. GIA · Smithsonian · The Met