turning observations.....butter smooth to turn, sharp tools (obviously). Drilling was the only scary part... I received some very valuable advice here at IAP to make sure to avoid heat build up, ANY heat build up. These were drilled over a period of several days, about 1/8 of an inch at a time.... drill, do something else for an hour, drill...repeat until through!
I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of smell...had worried about it, having worked with various antlers/horns and such...was not paying attention specifically, but don't recall any noticeable odor vs other materials.
cracking is a worry. I have kept these for 3 months to make sure that they are at least stable. temperature and humidity fluctuations are a concern, but they seem to be doing well so far and have had a few more swings than I would have liked, but have survived everything so far. Odds on NEVER cracking...who knows... with a stable environment they should last a long time.
I will be making more of these as they really do have a feel that you can't duplicate. I use a lot of alternative ivory, love it and will use it on all of my "regular" pens, but these really do convey a whole new level of luxury.