Scales are thin and would take a bit of a touch to carve anything in them.
I kind-of figured this would be a huge consideration... Plus, I suppose the proposed wood carver might not consider things like balance and handle-ability -- things that an expert razor craftsman would consider to be of paramount concern.

For the time being, I'm just trying to get a feel for what's possible and what's available out there, and I sincerely appreciate everyone's input.

To be a bit more specific, I'm looking for something in a lighter-colored wood (or old piano ivory, thanks for the rec!) and the carving would have an olde-worlde, antique aesthetic.

If anyone out there "knows someone" or would be willing to say, "Yes, I have a set of scales you can buy for $X, just have the carver create something within Y parameters and I can fit them to a blade," then do feel free to send me a PM. However, please be advised, I will be taking my time and doing a lot of research (as in, definitely weeks' and probably months' worth) on this before I start firing off PayPals. I will post something in the classifieds when I am satisfied I know what I want and what needs to be done.