Isn't it more likely that they scanned one of these (in the comfort of their own home/studio)? http://forum.david-3d.com/viewtopic.php?p=32781 (edit:ignore the scanning method outlined here, low resolution, focus on the source statue)

In another article, a scanning professional mentioned a laser scan of that same bust was created in 2000/2001 http://3dprintingindustry.com/2016/02/26/3d-scanned-nefertit...

PS The statue in link 1 does show the ear crevice.

Crop from link [1] to save you the click: http://i.imgur.com/oUiAl24.png