How did the Source 2 engine update affect high-end skin collections?

Did the visual upgrade in CS2 actually boost the market value of top-tier private inventories, or did certain legendary skins lose ground because of the new lighting model?

The engine upgrade significantly altered texture rendering, metallic reflections, and specular highlights. Finishes like Doppler Phase gems and Case Hardened patterns received a major visual boost, increasing buyer demand for high-end inventories built around these specific items.

The visual overhaul in Source 2 generally bumped high-end inventory values even higher because of how incredible metallic and gradient finishes look now. Gems like Sapphire and Ruby, along with clean Case Hardened patterns, got a massive visual upgrade under the new lighting, making big investors hold onto them even tighter. I went through the breakdown on https://livelearnventure.com/the-most-expensive-cs2-inventories-in-2023/ to see how high-end inventory rankings shifted around the transition and who kept the top spots. Even if you look at daily market activity on platforms like DMarket, demand for clean knife finishes and shiny high-tier skins shot up right after the update.