That's what we used to call letting them have it with both barrels!!

When a toolmaker gave me my deep rock coticule in exchange for helping him sell some stones (well, plus I gave him my tormek), he was surprised when I said I might take the label off and try the blue side. I never did try the blue side, but it's vivid on the stones that were selected for looks. I didn't have to take it off, though....it got wet and fell off.

I don't know if ardennes will entertain someone (and see an opportunity) if they say "give me the prettiest one you have" and then double the price of their usual stone and charge $40 to ship from the EU (no clue if they do that, just supposing).

But you covered that with "if you got ripped off".

Stones selected for looks are strange, though, and so too can be buyers of such things. 10 guys might give $80 for something the eleventh guy could be swooned into $250 for.

He may come back and say "I did pay $225 for it" or some large fraction of that (possibly even a fraction over 1), but given that 8x3 blues are available around here from time to time for $80 - $100, and I guess add $15 for a slurry, I'd have to say "I think the pretty ones are probably not for me at that price!"

I know there was language on the internet at one point that the particles were fewer and bigger on the blue side, but I've seen so much conflicting opinion on coticules that I have no clue what of all of it is right.