A wet stone can look precious until its ordinary color returns.

Conditions flatter things, and then the conditions change. Water deepens the colour and makes a plain pebble look like something worth keeping, which is not a lie exactly, since it really did look like that at the time. Drying is not the truth arriving to correct an illusion; it is simply a different set of circumstances. Most disappointment works this way, in new jobs and new people as well as in stones.

Before committing to something that looks remarkable, ask what is currently making it shine. If the answer is a condition that will not last, decide whether you would still want the dry version.