Vining Rose Quartz

Everything's coming up roses around the Idle Talons workshop! Larkin cut the cab for this piece from a piece of rose quartz that the folks at the rock shop affectionately dubbed "lavender quartz" due to its blue tinge-- its purple really pops against the true red of the roses!

Larkin shaped the argentium silver roses and leaves first, and fused them into place on the silver vining rose wire. The base of the frame is copper, with the silver vines wrapped in as it was made. The whole frame was oxidized, then Larkin hand polished every single silver component to bring out the bright silver contrast.

This is a gorgeous piece, with meticulous detail. That said, Larkin is not planning to make another like it because it took so. stinking. long! Better act fast if you love it. ;)

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Oxidized Roses

Larkin is playing with oxidizing silver roses for vining chokers and bracelets. Oxidizing is a bit like rolling the dice because you're never sure exactly what colors will pop out, but this group sure make a lovely bouquet! Fairly normal-sized human thumb for size reference.

Knobs!

Larkin finished some knobs! The first pair are a deep green, opaque applegate jade with yellow-brown inclusions. The second pair are made from a deep grey-green serpentine. The knob base is a heavy duty brushed metal and comes with the screw necessary for installation. Instant cabinet fancification!

Evil Twin, Anyone?

Larkin is calling this the evil twin of the last moonstone wrap. 😂 That design inspired a few tweaks and Larkin happened to have another moonstone cab on hand to try them out. This is another argentium silver wrap, but this time Larkin did a light oxidation to bring out all kinds of crazy colors in the metal!

It's amazing how similar the design is, but how different the feel of the two wraps are-- I can't decide which I like more!

Knob Blanks

What looks like a lifetime supply of knob blanks arrived yesterday! Larkin ordered some wood and some brushed metal and is taking advantage of the warm weather today to get in some stone work.

Moonstone Curls

Larkin's latest wrap, spring flowers edition! This purchased moonstone cab has a gorgeous blue-green-peach flash and is framed in argentium silver with a combo of weaving and fusing. The tail curls are hammered and gleaming. Perfect for spring!

Pictured (in order) with: grape hyacinth, rosemary, shooting stars, and houndstongue. This wrap will be making it's debut next Friday at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar!

Whispy Jasper

Larkin cut this cheerfully asymmetric cab from a grey-blue-green-with-a-bit-of-yellow-at-that-one-edge jasper stone we found near the coast. Swirly on one side and whispy on the other, Larkin mirrored the feel of the stone with the copper wire of its wrap. Measures 6.4 cm long and 2.6 cm at its widest point.

This piece will make its debut at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar, coming up at the end of the month!

Mad Scientist!

More new mad scientist toys... just look at that grin!

Larkin has been saving every little wire trimming scrap for the last few years for this very moment. ;)

Yesterday, the crucibles arrived, and after seasoning/glazing were ready for their inaugural copper melting. Here is the unused crucible (it's being saved for silver) with the amazingly colorful patina left in the one used for copper.

These little blobules (I'm pretty sure that's the technical term...) are the results of pouring melted copper into a bucket of water. Some of them turn out like perfect abstract little sculptures, and Larkin is thinking of adding a jump ring to favorites to make fun charms. The others can be re-melted and shaped into sheet metal and wire for more intentional jewelry work.

And here is Larkin in full protective gear-- welcome to the glamorous world of fine jewelry making!

Applegate Jade Scroll

Now that Larkin has shaken out yesterday's clothes, found the missing cab, and tied it in, I'm happy to present this latest wrap! Larkin cut this cabochon from applegate jade, probably our favorite local rock! The first picture is with the rough stone from which it was cut, the second picture of the back shows the cut side of the stone.

The higher "gemstone quality" applegate jade is a very dark green with black speckles, but our family unanimously prefers these kinds of pieces with more shades of green and different materials making interesting patterns in the stone. It shares two of the most fun and defining features of applegate jade; it's translucent when backlit and will attract a magnet!

The sunlit picture with dandelions shows how the stone's patterning really pops in the sun, even as it blows out the argentium silver scrollwork.

Metal Flappers

Larkin is playing with a new design! These were inspired by some amazing claywork by Royaboya's handmade jewelry that had Larkin itching to play with the new rolling mill to see if a similar design might work in metal. The one on the right is fresh out from under the torch, scorched and unpolished. The one on the left was pickled (not quite long enough, as it turns out), oxidized and polished. Dragon wings? Bat wings? What do you see?

Applegate Jade Marquise

Larkin created this piece for someone wanting rich, earthy colors in a copper wrap. The gorgeous marquise-cut cabochon is applegate jade, and includes the full range of materials that stone offers, from the sandy-looking rind to the deep green, translucent interior. It still blows us away that we can find rocks like this near our home!

Patience And Planning...

Bear with me, folks... this post involves some backstory. 😅 When I (Larkin's mum) was a teenager at Reed, I purchased this amazing hair clip at the Portland Saturday Market. It felt like a big splurge at the time, but quickly became the only thing I ever wore in my hair. The first picture is the only photo I know of where it is visible, but the hair hardware is understandably difficult to focus on since the eyes are naturally drawn to sweetly sleeping Larkin circa summer 2005. ;)

The wire was flat, not round, and super hard-- I was never able to find that vendor again (I looked!), and every other similar clip I tried was inferior. Most wires were round, and not suitably work-hardened so they would bend with use and slip in my hair. With mine, I put it in my hair with concave faces together, then twisted the stick to lock it into place.

After 20+ years of daily use, I misguidedly stowed my beloved hair clip in my pocket while my hair dried. It fell out while I was in town and I never saw it again. I truly hope it was found by someone who recognizes its value and wears it often.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't encourage Larkin's interest in jewelry making *just* in the hopes of eventually getting a replacement awesome hair piece... but who am I to stand in the way of destiny?! I was watching Larkin play with the metal roller and having to re-anneal the curved results as they were quickly work-hardened by the rolling process.

I think you see where this is going.

This piece is Larkin's first small prototype, and it has SO MUCH POTENTIAL!! The slight curve is perfect for fitting comfortably against the head, the pin twists to lock into place, and so far it is not bending loose and slipping. Would a slightly larger one that incorporated a bezel-set applegate jade cab and fit all my hair be even better? Yes. Yes, it would.

Rolling Mill!

A new toy arrived today! Larkin's latest acquisition is this rolling wire mill. It had to be fully disassembled, cleaned, oiled, reassembled, and tested before we figured out that one of the pieces was the mirror image of what it needed to be for the rollers to sit flush. Soooo... drill press to the rescue! Larkin added holes in the right position and is now happily squishing metal.

We experimented with getting leaf prints on sheet metal (they're there, but fainter than hoped) and made the world's unhappiest clump of lichen in the process. This little powerhouse can also turn round wire into square, triangular, or half-round wire, can make comfort bands for rings, and has several patterned rollers. Can't wait to see where this leads!

Workshop Tinkering

Multi-tasking in action! We briefly moved Larkin's genie set-up into the kitchen to more easily make adjustments to improve its ergonomic design. After lots of machine height shimming, wrist-rest bumper experimentation, and creative seat height adjustment, we believe we've found a set-up that minimizes shoulder/neck/back/elbow fatigue. Now all we need is to build a workbench the right height outside. And a proper-height stool (no, the footstool + folding chair is not the final set-up). Okay, and maybe a well-insulated workshop with big windows and a heater... but one improvement at a time!

In the midst of all these adjustments, Larkin turned out some new cabs... with an obviously biased color palette. The top row is two round applegate jade cabs (the larger one! *swoon*) and a blue/green chert destined to be a leaf pendant. The chert has a distinctive band through its center that is almost purple. The bottom row is an applegate jade marquise cab, a double-sided applegate jade cab with a hole for a cord drilled sideways through the tip, and a serpentine cab that Larkin plans on making into a leaf.

Rhino Wire Doodle

Larkin had a request for silver rhinoceros statement earrings, and this copper prototype turned out pretty sweet! The metal pictured is still scorched from torch work, so the final product will be much more uniformly shiny. Any other rhino fans here? This makes me wonder if other animals would translate to wire as well...

Underwater Wire Doodle

Today's wire doodle, inspired by the watery feel of Larkin's latest wrap! This is about the size of a quarter, constructed from copper wire and copper solder. A magical little porthole!

Underwater Chert

Fresh out of the polisher, here is Larkin's latest piece! This is another cab Larkin cut from a blue-green chert we found in Humboldt, CA. The top line of silver across the face follows a sparkling vein of quartz. The whole piece has a very flowy, watery feel-- Larkin played with making some bubbles on the back and liked the effect so much there may be some stand-alone bubble earrings in the works! Wrapped in argentium silver and polished bright.

Vining Rose Choker and Bracelet

Larkin is ready to offer these vining rose chains in both bracelet and choker lengths! The prototype was made in copper and, unfortunately, turned our hapless wear tester <ahem, I mean dear friend> green in mere hours. So these are solid argentium silver in two styles: one with bright roses and dark, oxidized vines and one with dark, oxidized roses and bright silver vines.

Larkin's Uncle Felix thought the chokers were beautiful, but might live up to their name... so we did a little safety testing, too. Luckily, the links will come apart if pulled with enough force before injuring the wearer. That said, we don't recommend the chokers for children.

Rose Choker

These hand-shaped roses really seem to have set Larkin's gears turning recently! This choker prototype is currently in the wear-testing phase. Each iteration of the rose and leaf pattern is made individually and then joined, so it could easily be adapted into a chain-style bracelet as well. Larkin completed the design with a custom clasp. These roses are bright copper with oxidized copper leaves, but it would be very striking with various combinations of silver elements as well!

Back To Work!

<Whew!> Larkin and the Idle Talon minions needed a bit of a break after last weekend's extremely fun and successful bazaar! Larkin came up with these sweet little heart charms as raffle prizes-- pretty perfect for a certain upcoming holiday! ;) Each heart is constructed from a single wire, with a dot of solder at the join for reinforcement.