1. A method of optically measuring the gloss of an irregularly shaped object using a specular reflection component of light reflected from the irregularly shaped object, said specular reflection component including a perpendicular polarization component, and said gloss being defined in terms of a capacity of a surface to reflect more light in a specular direction as compared to other directions and said gloss being measured by the magnitude of the perpendicular polarization component, the method of optically measuring the gloss of the irregularly shaped object to provide a gloss image of the irregularly shaped object comprising the steps of: illuminating the irregularly shaped object with a light source providing an unpolarized, broad band light directed at an oblique angle to the irregularly shaped object; deriving essentially only the magnitude of the perpendicular polarization component of the specular reflection component of polarized light from the irregularly shaped object while excluding light reflected in other directions to provide a derived gloss image of the irregularly shaped object, said derived gloss image including a plurality of gloss image pixels having a gloss level; obtaining an absolute average gloss image of the irregularly shaped object from the derived gloss image, including; statistically grouping the gloss image pixels into a plurality of groupings according to the associated gloss levels thereof; and averaging the brightest predetermined N percent of the gloss image pixels together within each of the groupings to obtain said absolute average gloss image of the irregularly shaped object corresponding to said optically measured gloss.