Different area of course but there may be commonalities to the Canadian policy of providing rough from other areas for carvers. A friend was involved in taking rough from many places to the arctic as local supplies can be difficult and dangerous to acquire in the north. At one point they had me cut a big alder on my place and wrap the rounds in plastic and they shipped them to the arctic for carvers to try. In the last few years tourism , especially rock climber tourism , has flourished in Greenland and it has a more robust economy and obviously more choices for the acquisition of carving rough and supplies. Indigenous gemstones are now being cut into cabs in Greenland but the rarity and price of the rough has precluded beads as far as I know. As an aside , is the piece legal? Seal teeth and narwhal tusks are in great demand but are not legally possessed without a permit in the US.I have seen seal teeth that were more than big enough to produce that piece.
That pattern/texture in the center is the giveaway. It's called tapioca by ivory carvers and knife makers
I can see why this material might be ID'd as "walrus ivory." I have quite a bit of fossil walrus (teeth and tusk material), from Alaska and China—ivory being one of my specialties.
However, I would have to consider the possibility that this is a piece of deer or elk antler.
A close full-on view of the cross section would help in making a confident ID.
Jamey
I have many walrus ivory beads and a number of carvings, and this bear pendant just doesn't quite look like walrus ivory.
A Google search reveals that antler is popular for Inuit carvings these days, such as this bear pendant from Etsy.
Note the distinct demarcation between the inner and outer dentine, and the outwardly radiating lines.
https://www.fws.gov/lab/ivory_natural.php#walrus
The dentine is composed of two types: primary dentine and secondary dentine (often called osteodentine). Primary dentine has a classical ivory appearance. Secondary dentine looks marble or oatmeal-like. This type of secondary dentine is diagnostic for walrus tusk ivory.
