For those who are into this sort of thing . . .

Interesting:

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/japanese-aesthetics/

"We do not dislike everything that shines, but we do prefer a pensive lustre to a shallow brilliance, a murky light that, whether in a stone or an artifact, bespeaks a sheen of antiquity. . . . We love things that bear the marks of grime, soot, and weather, and we love the colors and the sheen that call to mind the past that made them."

It's hard for me to express how much I agree with that statement.