Nuguruk:

• Ivory items with the signature "Nuguruk" are fairly common; carving sets, ashtrays, cheese slicers....
• Are these genuine Eskimo scrimshaw?

        In reality, "Nuguruk" was not an eskimo scrimshaw artist, but a Seattle company of the 1960's which obtained cutlery blades and fittings, often from Germany or England, and then hired local people to produce scrimshaw ivory handles. Their products are indeed real marine ivory, and are scrimshawed by hand.  However, because the scrimshaw was produced from patterns supplied by the company, they are not original works of art, and all or most of the artists were non-native. They copied templates which they were given by the company, and as a result there are only a few stock patterns: seal on ice floe, dog sled, cabin, and a dozen or so others. All the items were signed Nuguruk, regardless of the name of the factory worker who applied the designs.

        As a result, the value of these items is a fraction of that of real eskimo art (perhaps $25 for a carving set, $15 for a cheese slicer).

• An internet search will easily verify this, and may lead to a number of sites showing examples of common "Nuguruk" items.