splurge and get the nicer tile but do a light grout so you dont over state the tile

Splurge, you will be staring at that tile every single day....and kicking yourself for not spending an extra $500. In the long run it's a small amount for everyday smiles :)

With handmade you have to be careful with cut tiles in the corners. Sometimes it's hard to get a good clean corner.

And with any tile the availability of trim pieces is important.

This will be part of your decision.

Years ago there was a backsplash posted in the forum and the tile was very expensive and the homeowner did not like the inside corners at all and there were no trim pieces to finish the exposed ends. The installation was good but it still didn't look nice. They ended up removing it and starting over. The tile was nice, it just didn't work in that case.

LOL - Not a good person to ask because I am splurging on ALL my tile - kitchen backsplash as well as tile in the master and guest bath :-)

Obviously it's all relative to what one can afford and I assume that $500 is not an amount that is keeping the wolf at the door - i.e. if you had unexpected expenses do you have money in the bank to pay or would you need to charge it?

If the $500 is essentially discretionary income, definitely splurge because for the length of time you will be looking at it, it's pennies a day. If you are on a tight budget and $500 is a meaningful sum in terms of emergency savings and/or you would have to take the $500 from some other aspect of your remodel, then you need to decide what compromises you want to make and I would not spend it.

I am trying to decide whether to spend an additional $2000 for the tile in the guest bathroom - I am leaning towards the more expensive one that I love - but mine would be 2" x 4". I am having my designer get me what she calls the "come to Jesus" moment when she presents me with a rough estimate of what else I need to buy LOL. I have the GC contract which so far doesn't have a lot of surprises but I am buying all the discretionary finish items as well as new furniture. Depending on whether I can be picked up off the floor when I see the total, I'll decide whether I can continue splurging LOL

for me, it'd be real handmade-or not handmade at all.

But I become snob and freak when it comes to tiles..

ask me about something else-and you might get a different answer))

(I was able to do handmade subway for a kitchen backsplash-pretty tiny, 15 sq f plus allowance for breakage plus some tiles with glazed edges to finish it correctly..)..we paid more than 1 K for sure

and that was my compromise since what I really wanted was not subway but square pattern, and we'd pay minimum 5k

so yes..4k difference..as much I loved that tile..

I'm not regretting btw. I still want to use that dream tile somewhere else though lol. And not like I've suddenly come into inheritance or something..:)

(many other compromises were made as well lol. for the sake of boring things nobody sees but everyone needs though, like insulation, black paper, HVAC, and whatnot..)