Dear friends.
The design of unpolished stones (semi-polished stones) are not visible obviously but when we put water on them, the design and color will be visible as same as a polished stone tile. I will be very grateful if I know the reason or more information. We can talk about that.
I am not a minerology expert, but it’s an interesting question. I suppose the darkening and improved clarity a coating of water brings to stones has to do with the smoother surface of the water, which fills cracks and crevices and provides “clear viewing” of the rough stone it covers.
Polishing a stone has a similar effect, also providing a smooth surface without so much first-interface scattering and multi-scattering (source->stone->stone->more stone->eye). You still have scattering, but it’s in a uniform direction and produces a coherent reflection, which is easier to manipulate by changing the lighting and viewing angles, and is something we are used to dealing with.
-Greg
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