Dave, to my eye it does not look like this pommel was intentionally made in two pieces. This looks like an elaborate repair job to me. If you look carefully at the line of the joining, while generally straight it makes too many slight adjustments back and forth to have been fitted together from to originally separate pieces. The line also isn't exactly centered either and on the back end under the tail takes a turn to the right. I'm pretty sure this pommel started as one-piece of ivory.
I agree with Detlef that the holes along the top probably once held a metal strip that was meant to help hide the repair.
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