The uniqueness of an object, such as an original work of art, can be demonstrated by accurately and precisely measuring "visible electromagnetic energy," VIS, found between 360 and 830 nm, reflected off the "original" specimen, the Reference, R, a specific area of the original, following a standardized measurement and transformation procedure defined by the Commission Internationale de 'Eclairage (CIE). The measured R spectra are transformed into CIE X, Y, Z values (see: CIE31) and then into CIEL*a*b* (see: CIE76) values and stored in a database protected by a block chain mechanism. To authenticate, the stored R Lab values are compared to a comparable set of Lab values, S, generated by measuring the same specific area of the specimen to be authenticated as was originally measured for R. S is compared to R via the CIE DeltaE 2000 algorithm (see CIEDeltaE00), generating a set of values, DeltaE which measure the difference between S and R for each pixel in the measured area. The mean and standard deviation of the DELTAE values over the whole measured area is found and used to create a unique Authenticity Factor, AF, the probability that the difference between any pair of corresponding cells in R and S is less than 1, the Just Noticeable Difference (JND), the CIE threshold that determines if the two specimens match. The AF is found from the cumulative probability function of the normal distribution of the DELTAE values of R and S. If AF=1, the sample perfectly matches the reference, denoting the sample is 100% authentic. AF<1 gives the confidence in the match between the sample and reference, ie, AF=.99 indicates there is a 1% chance the sample is not the same as the reference, or there is a 99% chance the sample is "authentic.”