Yes, they will fade some with use. I like tiger hide after it's been oiled and then handled a bit. The real dark coloring fades, leaving some nice texture in the scales.

I think it's just luck of the draw on the scales. Jaxx bought 4 of them, and all four vary slightly. If Busse had been trying to show preferential treatment, they might have made #27 (Jaxx's number) more like the clearly defined orangish/bluish scales. Instead, Jaxx's #42 looks this way.