"UV light & Aged"
Here are my only examples with similar "the same stock" AGM Micarta, provided by me, and built by the shop in order of my orders...years apart...each was exposed to the sunlight(aged) on a table, and rotated to "age" the material....each knife I received was MUCH lighter in color than the others(not the first, obviously)...the 12-14 took the longest time...a complete summer, with rotations when ever I thought about it...UV does/will effect the color of the material!!
they now remain in the "locker" away from light....
as always the photos appear much darker than the actual product...

:-)Rocky