Just wanted to thank you all again for the advice and, of course, your kind good wishes. Tomorrow I marry the woman I've always been looking for, and I found her at 55! How about them apples?
Mission accomplished! I'm pretty pleased with the results, especially first time out. Made them of red-dyed buckeye burl with an offset stripe of artificial ivory. Given the trickiness of the burl, I was surprised I didn't blow it out in the first five minutes.
Since I can't find the shank to my drill chuck for the tailstock, I decided to hollow the blank with a small spindle gouge, only thing that would really fit.
About halfway through, after two big catches toward the outside I decided to try something that still strikes me as weird (would like to know if this is just a technique I haven't heard of): I picked up my small parting tool, tried a light cut straight in near the inside edge, and it worked like a dream! I used it to finish hollowing, shaped the outside toward the headstock with a skew, finished with thin CA, gamut of Micromesh, Myland's High-Build and three coats of Renaissance Wax. (I know, I know, handwashing would play hell with this, but we don't plan on washing our hands with these on.) Then I parted off, sanded the inside with a little drum, touched up the finish and done.
Will post photos soon as I can after the wedding.
Thanks again, folks, you're the best!
Ric