Idle Talons

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Winged Sunburst

fun, musings, process, productLarkin HamiltonComment

I am still at the coast, avoiding the heat wave currently blasting the Idle Talons home studio, but Larkin has been sending me progress photos so I don't feel quite so out of touch. I thought y'all might enjoy a start-to-finish glimpse into what goes into one of Larkin's pieces as much as I do!

Spoiler: Larkin was going for dragon-worshipping-the-sun vibes.

First step after coming up with a concept: deciding on size! Larkin cut some wing templates out of cardboard to help with the decision.

The middle size seems Just Right. Bonus glimpse of grubby teen jeweler paws.

Another cardboard template, this time a sunburst!

For this kind of detailed work, Larkin cuts the template out of sticker paper so it can be applied to the metal and used as a cutting guide. Here you can also see all the pilot holes they drilled through the metal so their saw has a starting point.

40 minutes of painstaking cutting later, and the sunburst is all cut out!

Hand polishing/grinding gets all the little burrs and sharp spots out of the cut-out so its edges are rounded and smooth.

Last check with templates before committing silver!

Silver wings! Cut out and textured.

Adding spines to the wings. Every little connection point and detail is another opportunity for the torch to cause the metal to slump which would require starting the whole process over.

Details are starting to come together!

This piece got a full rainbow finish after first heat!

The back of a wing after torchwork. The scorching is such a neat effect-- it's too bad it won't stand up to smoothing/polishing.

Veining is all done-- now for more details!

The tip of each "finger" gets a hand-sculpted talon. You can see the top one is the only complete one in this photo.

Talons and tails are cut, shaped, and ready for soldering!

Copper sunburst, talons and tails are all in place. Just need to add some attachment points for a cord on the back.

Pickled (Larkin uses a hot citric acid bath) and cleaned/tumbled to remove the torch scorch. A bit of hand-polishing and it will be done!

Taaaaaadaaaaaaah!

A quarter for scale and cord attached through hidden bails to show how it will hang!

Cat Tail Earrings

fun, musings, process, productLarkin HamiltonComment

Cat tail earrings! Larkin really captured the essence of the plant with these hand-sculpted beauties! Available with either a silver or copper teardrop frame; silver is polished bright, copper is oxidized then Larkin hand-polishes the silver cat tails back to bright. No two are exactly identical, but they are all identically lovely! 😉

Posts may be a little slow because our family is split between two different states this month! Larkin and Emile are home where they can work while Jenny and Finn ran off to the coast to enjoy some cooler weather and time with grandparents. What does this have to do with Idle Talons? Well, I (Jenny) usually photograph and post Larkin's work so we are working out some kinks and delays!

Applegate Jade Night Magic

fun, musings, process, productLarkin HamiltonComment

I was telling Larkin that their recent work has very wonderful witchy vibes. Lo and behold, at last weekend's market someone bought FIVE (!!) wraps... for their coven!

This latest applegate jade (bowenite) piece definitely has a similar feel. Larkin wove the base of the frame from copper, while the tree and ivy leaves are hand-sculpted from argentium silver. The whole piece was oxidized, then Larkin hand-polished the silver back to bright.

Larkin always complains about the "messy" finish on tree backs, but all those wires have to end somewhere!

This piece truly feels like a portal into a magical world! Measures 4.5 cm long and 3.8 cm at its widest point.

Wild Rose Studs

fun, musings, process, productLarkin HamiltonComment

Larkin has now made these sweet little wild roses in both silver and copper. And just in time... the roses here are in full, glorious bloom!

In the group photos, the copper has been un-polished for about a month and developed a natural patina. In the solo photo, the copper is straight out of the polisher. I think I prefer the patina, how about you?

First Tuesday!

fun, musings, process, product, venuesLarkin HamiltonComment

Tomorrow is first Tuesday! Larkin will be at the Rogue Valley Growers and Crafters Market in Ashland at their NEW LOCATION! While the armory is being remodeled the market will be held at 1554 Webster St., at the northwest corner of Ashland Street and Walker Avenue. https://ashland.news/rogue-valley-growers-market-moves-to-new-location/

Also, Larkin now has mushroom studs as singles, doubles, and clusters of three! While trying to figure out what to call a group of mushrooms, I found this internet gem from The Mushroom Journal: "Mushrooms that are in a close group but not close enough to be called a cluster are said to be in a troop. Mushrooms in a group that is a bit more scattered and irregular (loose discipline!) are said to be gregarious." Check out these gregarious lovelies!

Petrified Wood Terrarium

musings, process, product, funLarkin HamiltonComment

Larkin created the stone base of this piece from agatized petrified wood found by our family here in Southern Oregon. They left the top raw to show the look and feel of the original wood and polished the rest of the cabochon to a domed shine. Larkin used a combination of bezel-setting and prong-setting techniques to achieve the desired hanging silver terarrium effect, and left the back open to maximize Cool Wood Visibility.

A cluster of three mushrooms peeks up from behind the stone, and a vine of hand-cut and textured ivy leaves climbs up one side. The pendant dangles freely from the custom mushroom bail (a great feature for jewelry... and a pain in the neck for photography!). The back:

Side note: this picture features a wee fir seedling with its bright green spring growth tips. I like the juxtaposition of the brand new wood with the so-old-it's-petrified wood in the piece.

Throwback Thursday

fun, musings, process, productLarkin HamiltonComment

We haven't been sharing much here lately because Larkin is at that stage in their work cycle where they work on a whole bunch of stuff in parallel and finish everything all at once in a fit of industry (usually right before a market... yep, first Tuesday is coming up!). I'm pretty sure my New Favorite Wrap is almost done and will be shared soon!

Meanwhile, this popped up in my memories just in time for throwback Thursday... Larkin's very first market! This was four years ago today, when Larkin was 13. Pretty much everything here is beadwork, with two little wire pieces serving as harbingers of what was to come. No stonework at all since Larkin did not yet meet the age requirements at our local rock machine shop. They look a little more comfortable at markets these days.

Silver Dragonfly Earrings

fun, process, productLarkin HamiltonComment

Silver dragonflies! These pretties went on a family hike with us yesterday and got some fun new photography backgrounds for their debut.

Larkin textured and hand-cut the wings, shaped the body with the torch and topped them off with swoopy 20 gauge ear wires.

On a (only-tangentially) hike-related note, did you know the only known bigfoot trap is located here in southern Oregon? Bonus photo of Larkin with their younger brother Finn inside the trap, because that's how we roll! 😅

Want to know more about the bigfoot trap? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigfoot_trap

Silver Vine With Stone Ring

fun, process, productLarkin HamiltonComment

Larkin got a few new kinds of faceted stones to play with ring settings. This is a lavender cubic zirconium set into a silver ring with leafing vines. It's so sparkly! Larkin plans to make the same design with a few different stones.

The silver has been oxidized then mostly re-polished to bright, with the areas of dark behind the vines adding a bit of extra dimensionality.

Pay no attention to the awkward human trying to pretend they're a natural ring model. 😅

Not Rhodonite...

fun, musings, processLarkin HamiltonComment

Larkin and Emile we're planning on hunting rhodonite with our local gem and mineral club yesterday, but the trip was changed so they opted to revisit a favorite local spot. They only brought home one rock... But what a rock! This giant petrified wood stump still needs some cleaning up, and may never be cut for jewelry work, but it will have a place of honor in our rock garden!

Alien Serpentine

fun, musings, process, productLarkin HamiltonComment

Do *you* want to believe?

Larkin sees a landscape in this blue-grey-green serpentine cabochon that has seen better days, perhaps due to the arrival of little green aliens.

The back is somehow hopeful, with silver stars twinkling through the branches of a tree. The black in the stone contains iron and will attract a magnet!

While it may take awhile for this piece to find its perfect home, we *do* believe that just the right fan of post-apocalyptic alien invasion fine jewelry is out there!

Silver Ivy Ring With Copper Leaves

fun, musings, process, productLarkin HamiltonComment

Larkin made a variation of this silver ivy ring and it's amazing how a slight adjustment in materials and treatment can change the whole feel of a design! The original (right) is all silver and oxidized with the leaves polished back to bright. The new ring (left) has copper leaves for contrast and all the metal is polished bright. I don't know which I like more!

Silver Mushroom Stud Earrings

fun, musings, product, processLarkin HamiltonComment

It was only a matter of time...

Here at Idle Talons, we like to think we've carefully cultivated an audience full of friendly people who find it desirable to appear as if they have fungus growing out of their head. Amiright?

Larkin is busy wrapping up bazaar business this week, but had to to take a break to create these awesome little silver mushroom cluster stud earrings. They are so sweet, and sure to be a conversation starter at all the wild mycologist parties.

Casting An Ingot

fun, process, musingsLarkin HamiltonComment

Sound off, it won’t improve your experience at all. ;)

This video is Larkin casting a cylindrical silver ingot. They keep every little bit of silver trim and scrap wire, then melt it down to use again. Right now, Larkin mostly turns the ingots into sheet metal or larger gauges of shaped bands for things like rings-- both a big investment if you buy them pre-made.

It's pretty darn neat watching the silver turn red then melt!

Spring Soiree

fun, process, venuesLarkin HamiltonComment

Today is the last day to get early bird pricing for this upcoming virtual bazaar preview party.

Why might you want to attend the preview party? Many vendors (like Larkin!) make one-of-a-kind products that will be available here first! And, all profits from ticket sales support a great cause. Hope to see you there!