Casey Balluta of Toksook Bay inherited his Grandfather’s skills of carving. When he was a kid, his grandfather left him his shop, and a few of his carving tools. Casey didn’t have a mentor, but he started ivory carving himself. He shared his experience, how, as a beginner, he struggled.
First, Casey started making ivory hooks. And he tried selling them. But most of his ivory hooks weren’t sold. He got disappointed. And he practiced more and more till he became a professional. Casey isn’t much into making ivory hooks only. Now, he is crazy good at making Ivory earrings. He carves them from the walrus ivory.
Casey also has a Facebook account, Casey Balluta. When asked about how to give him orders online, he said you can add him on Facebook and order earrings there. He also shares customized earrings made from ivory. He looks at the designs sent and delivers the replica of the earrings. Casey is becoming more and more popular through his Facebook account because he takes many orders online.
He works every day, and when he feels he will burnout, he takes a break. And he usually prefers working after lunch from 1 in the afternoon to 6 in the evening. At 6, he takes a small break and resumes working after it, till 8 or 9 at night. His favorite tool is a Dremel. When he first started carving, his mother gave him his first Dremel. Now, he ordered one online from amazon too with which he carves all the earrings.
For Casey, the carving isn’t a profession. He is passionate about what he does. It takes him 3-4 hours to make earrings. That’s why all the earrings are unique and pricey.
