Tree Planet Hair Clip

Larkin has a new hair clip design! I love the imagery in this one-- the overall shape is that of a ringed planet, and the interior incorporates the graceful branches of a tree. The moon and the star inclusions enhance both the celestial and terrestrial aspects of Larkin's design.

If you've been following Idle Talons for awhile, you know I can't help waxing poetic about Larkin's hair clips occasionally. 😅 I lost a treasured hair clip when Larkin was little, and tried countless others trying to replace it. They were ALL uncomfortably bulky against my head and the metal wasn't hard enough so they unbent over time and I continually needed to re-place them in my hair.

Both clip pieces in Larkin's hair clips are slightly bent so the clasp lays flat against the head and is comfortable even when leaning back against a head-rest. They are designed to be placed with the concave faces together, then the stick is twisted 180 degrees to tighten the clasp and fasten the decoration securely in the hair. Larkin hammers and work-hardens the frame so the fit will remain snug over time. They roll the pin through a mill to achieve the same result.

Even folks with the kind of straight, silky hair that usually defies this kind of hair clip have reported successful staying power with Larkin's designs!

Double Sided Agate Moon Locket

This out-of-this-world piece is Larkin's second locket and first ever truly double-sided stone piece! Larkin has always loved making the backs of pieces beautiful, but the nature of cabochons means one side is naturally the front (domed) and one side is the back (flat). With a locket, the back of the cab is... well, the inside!

🌕 One side of this locket features a round polished banded agate cabochon, while the other is a silver cratered lunar dome.

Larkin cut the banded agate cab from a stone found by our family near our home in southern Oregon and it includes creamy layers of agate and some crystalline structure. A bit of staining on its face gives the moonscape unique coloration.

As always, Larkin's silver work is entirely hand-fabricated, from the cratered moon face to the hinge and clasp.

Larkin cut stylized stars ✨ on the back of the cabochon so the agate shines through when the locket is open. The locket’s inside space is fairly capacious— it could easily fit a small lock of hair, packet of treasure, photograph, or remembrance memento.

This locket is sure to be loved (dare I say it…😅) to the moon and back! 🌝

Holy Moly... More Roly Polies

It's still roly poly season in the Idle Talons workshop! Larkin appreciates all the support so much and was totally caught up on orders... several times this week. 😅

Larkin had a couple of special requests that inspired adding two more necklace designs to their regular offerings. After playing with a few different designs, Larkin finally settled on a way to hang a balled isopod from a chain-- they create what they're calling a cherry pit centerpiece that the roly poly curls around. It can move freely (it's not soldered to the "pit") but the slightly flattened shape of the pit keeps it mostly oriented with the curled isopod's profile facing out.

Larkin also added a necklace design featuring all three isopod poses. The isopods are connected by hand-shaped hammered loops. This trio necklace is quite delicate but has enough heft that the isopods dangle rather alluringly (if I do say so myself).

The free movement means these necklaces make a very subtle jangling sound that brings Larkin a great deal of joy. 🥰🎶

Local folks! Larkin will be participating in the RVGCM Saturday market in downtown Ashland on Oak Street for the very first time tomorrow-- they'd love to see you there! :)

Medford Comic Con!

Tomorrow! May the Fourth be with you at this year's comic con! Larkin started vending at this super fun local event as a wee young 14-year-old Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Their products have certainly matured a bit in the last 5 years. Stop by and say hi!

Wedding Whimsy

I don't think Larkin has *ever* been this busy filling orders and stocking up for markets! Wowza, what a wonderful whirlwind!

This l'il geode slice came to Larkin from someone who wanted it wrapped to wear in their wedding! They originally were looking for one of Larkin's more elaborate wrapped/fabricated pendants, but Larkin thought the raw edges and druzy sparkle of the stone was better suited to an open, vining frame.

It's fully reversible, but Larkin has a strong preference for which side is *right*! 😅 Can you tell which side they think is the front?

Roly Poly Rings!

They're here! As soon as they laid the first batch of roly polies out on their hand, Larkin knew they had to make rings!

Not gonna lie, I kinda want one to creep across every finger. 😅

Each isopod is entirely hand-fabricated from sterling sheet metal. They are mounted on a hand-made hammered sterling band that Larkin custom makes to order in just the right size. They are sized to sit on top of your finger without adding bulk between fingers. I've slept in one for two nights now and can attest to their comfort! :)

Thanks to Larkin's younger brother, Finn, for always being ready to model jewelry. Aren't his hands purty? 😄❤

On Strawberries And Pilfered Foliage

Larkin took our cargo bike in to its servicing appointment this morning, and went armed with a sack of metalworking tools as entertainment while they waited. 🚵‍♂️

I received thisphoto with a text: This is my happy place! Yes, my dear wee jewelry goblin, a bucket of strawberries and pilfered foliage. That looks about right. 🤣

Larkin was able to complete this ivy leaf before the bike was ready to go home, but is not sure what to do with it. What do you think-- a hair accessory? Clothing pin?

I would very much like to have seen the looks of passersby while Larkin sat in the park and pounded on metal. 🔨😅

Silver Ladle Charm

Larkin is not usually inspired by things made by humans, but the other day they got a wild hair and made this tiny, fully functional ladle charm!

This wee ladle is the perfect adornment for a kitchen witch, or anyone with a penchant for making soup for fairies (not to be confused with fairy soup 😅👀)!

🧚‍♂️🍵 Larkin included tiny details like rivets at the base of the handle and a decorative handle loop to complete the piece. Right now this is a solo charm and Larkin is thinking about making sets for earrings... what should they be paired with? I wanted a stubby little footed cauldron, but they say it would be too big made to the same scale (which is apparently very important). Other kitchen utensils? A whisk? Spatula? Broom? 🧙‍♀️

More Roly-Polies, Please!

Roly-poly? Pill bug? Sowbug? What did you grow up calling these cute creepy crawly critters? All of us here at the Idle Talons home studio think this silver version is abso-freaking-lutely delightful!

I turned over a ton of logs and rolled quite a few rocks trying to find some of their native brethren for them to pose with, but apparently it's still a little early in the spring here for roly-poly collecting.

Larkin hand-fabricates each isopod entirely from sterling silver sheet metal and wire— and while no two are perfectly identical, each is uniquely perfect!

Larkin designed these critters to come in three modes: flat, half-curled, and balled. Earrings can be mix and matched for however you’d like to pair them-- I'm partial to the half-curled ones that look like they're hugging your ear lobe!

Necklaces feature a flat roly-poly because Larkin couldn't figure out a satisfying way to hang the other modes.

Western Houndstongue

We have had some beautiful early spring weather recently here in southern Oregon! Sometimes, Larkin just can't bear to work in their studio when the great outdoors is beckoning so becomingly. The other day, they took a few tools outside and used a stump as a hammering block to... well... hammer out a couple of leaves.

The texture and veining of the houndstongue really lends itself beautifully to silverwork! What should this leaf become? A hair pin? A clothing pin? A necklace? A full-sized silver plant replica (ha ha, that might be what *I* want to see, but that's a lot of silver 😅)?

Ceramics... A Jeweler's Best Friend!

Usually being self-taught has served Larkin extremely well-- their work doesn't look like that of many other artists and they aren't plagued by pesky but-that-isn't-how-it's-SUPPOSED-to-be-done thoughts when they get the urge to try something new and potentially crazy. 😆

The one exception to this rule that comes to mind is TOOLS. Talking to other metalworkers sometimes helps Larkin discover tools that make their life much easier!

The most recent example of this is ceramic polishing shot. Larkin has been using stainless steel shot to give items their final shine all along, and that has been super helpful-- throw metal in the rock tumbler for an hour or two and come back to perfectly polished gleaming beauties! ✨ But they were doing all the harder work (sanding off burrs and rounding edges after cutting, polishing off oxidation on high spots to add dimensionality, etc.) by hand.

Lady J Arts to the rescue! Larkin was chatting with Jessica at a market, and she shared that ceramic shot will make short work of some of those tedious tasks Larkin had been doing by hand! With a couple of different grits, Larkin has been creating some designs that would have been prohibitively time-consuming before-- and their fingernails are looking a little less... demolished. 😅

Hooray for trade... what's the opposite of secrets? Generously shared bits of experience! ✨🎉

Silver Water Droplet Sculpture

Have you ever watched a small stream of water hit a puddle? It forms a sort of cup-shaped splash in the center of concentric waves. Larkin fabricated this little sculpture to capture that moment in sterling silver!

To make the slow-motion-liquid-flowy-goodness of the water drip and cup-shaped splash, Larkin melted silver in a crucible and carefully poured it into a bucket of water. It took *a lot* of pours (each one setting off all of our fire alarms 😅) before they succeeded in getting the shapes they were hoping for.

They finished off the piece by mounting it on hand fabricated concentric circles of silver, just like the ripples in a pond.

This photo of actual water by Nadezhda Vasilieva shows the effect Larkin was going for. 💧💦

Cat Tails Revisited!

These cat tails are another design Larkin has tweaked slightly-- making the seed heads contrasting copper really makes them pop! I always think Larkin's cat tails conjure up memories of halcyon summer days by the pond-- such a lovely, flowing design.

Larkin spent the last of their post-holiday/pre-market-season break visiting a friend at university in Canada and returned just a couple of days before the opening market of the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market! As in years past, Larkin will be there on the first Tuesday of every month. Remember they have a fabulous new location this year at ScienceWorks in Ashland!

Sprouting Plume Agate

Larkin cut these two cabochons from the same slab of plume agate. The “inside” edges are the raw outside surface of the original stone.

Larkin positioned a three dimensional silver leafing vine creeping between the two stones, mirroring the vining feel with the swooping wires on the frame.

Squiggly root tendrils hold the stones securely in place on the back of the piece. That sweetly spiraling little vine between the two pieces of stone feels like a testament to nature’s triumph against overwhelming odds! 🌱🍃

There are some air pocks along the plume lines, accentuating the organic feel of the stone. The stone is partially translucent and will pick up a glow of color from what it it worn against. For example (third photo), if you put it on your orange cat it will pick up a distinctive orange tinge. 🤣😻

A lot of technical skill went into this piece! Setting two cabochons securely without touching is a trick-- and they DO NOT BUDGE. I tried. 😅 There are also a bajillion (at least) connection points where wire is soldered to the wrapped frame, and each of those points is an opportunity for disaster to strike, requiring a do-over from the very beginning.

This piece is honking big (follow along for more technical jargon 😅)-- much larger than most of Larkin's work!

Fidget Ring

Larkin's younger brother, Finn, had a fidget ring on his holiday wish list this year and Larkin took that as a challenge!

They started with a thick band then fit a thinner, hammered band loosely around it. They added concavity to the thick band to hold the thinner band securely in place. The thinner band is loose enough that it spins freely. They added a knobble and clasp to the thin band as one more fidgetable element.

As a use-tester, I can vouch for both the comfort and the satisfying fidgety goodness of the finished ring!

Kinetic Silver Drop Spindle

Larkin has been crafting ever since they had the dexterity to pinch two fingers together! It is somehow fitting that they created this silver homage to another beloved craft. 🥰

This is a sweet little kinetic sculpture that all spinners will recognize! Modeled from a drop spindle, Larkin created the pendant to hang naturally at full extension and collapse when gently pressed against a hard surface to produce a two-ply “yarn”! 🧶🐑

Spindle comes on a cord and can be worn as a necklace or hung as a decoration!

Silver Splats

The first of these silver splats was a happy accident when Larkin got some metal too hot and it dripped onto their soldering block. The rest happened quite rapidly when Larkin got excitedly splat-happy and started spilling molten metal for funsies.

When Larkin first showed them to me, I saw lichen, but I think they could make amazing sea foam/spray and who knows what else, too! I'm guessing we'll see a design incorporating silver splats in the not-too-distant future... 🌊🍻🦠🗯

Build The Tools You Need

You may recall that the addition of silver chain to some designs necessitated that Larkin figure out how to polish said chain-- without it snarling and becoming hopelessly tangled in their tumbler.

They started with a copper cage that allowed them to wrap the chains loose enough to allow the metal shot in the tumbler to work its magic but kept them separated and secure. It worked great-- except the copper did transfer sightly to the silver over time.

So Larkin updated the cage to silver, adding a middle platform to help keep different chains separated and holes in the ends to fasten clasps (they need to polish, too, and picking them out of the metal shot can be time-consuming!).

Larkin loves the process of figuring out exactly what impossibly specialized tools they need... and making them!

Metal Abstraction

This fun little piece doesn't look like Larkin's usual work but that didn’t stop it from jumping off their workbench the other day!

They have been making little copper bowls to hold works in progress, components, and various other bits and bobs. They were so charmed with the way the edges of the metal crinkled that they just *had* to incorporate tiny metal bowls into something. So this... flower? birds nest complete with eggs? was born!

The leaves and little balls/anthers/eggs are hand-shaped from sterling and Larkin added an across-the-neck style silver chain and handmade clasp to complete the piece.

Eureka!

Your eyes are not deceiving you-- thar's gold in them thar earrings! ✨

Larkin added a verrrrry small, verrrrrry precious bit of gold wire as part of their last supply order.

I went ahead and zoomed right in on the baggie in case you couldn't see it in the full sized image. 😅 In case you're wondering, that is what over💲30 of 14k gold wire looks like. 😳

Larkin decided to go with this tried and true, oft-practiced (in silver), popular design for shaped ribbon earrings to get a feel for the hardness and workability of gold compared to sterling silver. And they said it was practically identical!

An exciting discovery! The in-ear photo shows the same design in sterling.

Larkin would like to start using gold as an accent metal, but investing in all the shapes and gauges they regularly use in their work is a bit out of reach at the moment. So in the meantime, we will have to enjoy the occasional golden glow when it pops up!