When you bring your mum a dragon you stopped working on a while ago and she spends 2 minutes cooing and tickling its belly and demands you finish it NOW.
process
Stormy Weather
product, musings, processCommentThis piece is cut from a stone found by our family near our home in southern Oregon. Jasper and agate combine to paint a striking landscape in stone, which Larkin framed, cut and polished. Whether you see fields, forest or ocean, the copper wire wrap portends an oncoming storm. This cabochon was cut from a small stone (pictured) so there may never be another like it!
Geeky Finery
process, product, venuesCommentDesign work is under way for Medford Comic Con-- these aren't final, but progress is being made! Look familiar to anyone?
Oh, For The Love Of Rocks!
fun, processCommentOn the way to the coast, we stopped at a spot where we hoped to find some Applegate jade. The river was about 200 feet below the road, much of which was a *very* steep bank. The first picture really doesn't do justice to the distance or steepness of the bank. These two found a giant hunk of rock that looked like it was largely Applegate jade and flung/shoved/hurled/dragged it all the way up to the car with minimal bloodshed. Back in civilization, it turns out it weighs about 50 pounds! It cleans up beautifully (the humans looked better after a good scrub, too)... we can't wait to see slabs (of the stone, not the humans)!
Roses and Lace
product, processCommentAnother first! This is the first wrap sourced entirely from the ground up, so to speak. Our family found this opalized agate stone near our home in southern Oregon. The combination of translucent agate and opaque common opal (common because it lacks the flash that the precious gem is known for) gives a lacy effect that is complemented by the delicate wire roses. Larkin ground and polished the cabochon and wrapped it in copper. Pictured with the stone it was cut from as well as a remaining slab.
Not Exactly Wildcrafting...
fun, processCommentSpringtime foraging for the perfect drops at Dancing Beads!
Finishing touches
process, musings, productCommentDid you know how much of the detail and character of a tree of life appear at the very end of the shaping process? The first photo is before final pliers-work and the second is after all the crimping and kinking give the tree its final shape.
This dark green, almost black, stone is Applegate jade, a particular kind of serpentine found near our home in southern Oregon. This is another piece Larkin created from the slab up, so to speak.
Cabochon Mania
process, musingsCommentLarkin completed the rock shop's cabochon making class that is required before using the machines specifically for making cabs. They work so much better and faster than the other machines! I can't wait to see what comes next...
A Milestone! (see what I did there?)
process, productCommentCheck it out! This is the very first Idle Talons piece that began as a raw chunk of rock! Larkin cut, shaped and polished the aventurine then wrapped the cabochon in copper wire. The copper has been oxidized and polished. Blue aventurine is said to keep personal thoughts and communication healthy and vibrant. We called this one "Ocean Currents."
Finished piece with the raw rock from which the cabochon was cut.
How Many Jewelers Does It Take To Screw In A Light Bulb?
musings, processCommentMe: How many tools do you possibly need to make one little piece of jewelry?!
Larkin: More.
Fingers Crossed...
process, musingsCommentThe middle stage of wrap projects are always exciting... and by “exciting” we mean they seem like they could go horribly wrong at any moment!
Dragon Eyes Backstory
process, productCommentDragon eyes start with a plain glass cabochon. Backgrounds are cut from nature magazines and pupils drawn on with a paint pen, then glued to the back of the cabochon. The back is painted black then coated in a waterproof glue. Choosing colors and beading the lid and spines gives each eye its final, distinctive look. Every dragon eye is unique, so if you see one you love, snap it up!
Rock Hounding!
fun, processCommentTook a brief break from market prep yesterday to join in on a field trip with the Roxy Ann Gem and Mineral Society. Found lots of agate and petrified wood and can’t wait to see how it polishes up! (Foreground of second picture has a colander just out of the rock tumbler.)
Market-Season Stress
venues, musings, processCommentWe've been quiet lately, we know! Larkin's first market of the season is Tuesday and the Idle Talons product line has changed a great deal since we designed displays-- fewer bead intensive pieces, more wire work. So we've been hard at work and getting a little loopy making sure everything is ready for a successful kick-off to market season!
Public Service Announcement
musings, processCommentSomeone's poor parent is going to go cross-eyed sorting them out later...
Here's Looking At You
processCommentNothing says “fun Saturday afternoon” like a pile of frog eyeballs!
Decisions, Decisions...
musings, processCommentHelp us with a tough decision! The dragon eyes are very striking and are big sellers at local markets, but Larkin doesn't feel they can be priced in a way that accurately reflects how many hours of time are required to make them. The beadwork on one of these eyes takes literally less than half the time that the other does. Is it obvious which? Do you strongly prefer one over the other (discounting preference for the eye itself)?
Second Cabochon
processCommentThe evolution of a cabochon! A friend gifted Larkin a beautiful chunk of raw, blue aventurine so it was time for another trip to the shop at Crater Rock Museum! Larkin cut the stone into slabs, rough cut a cabochon shape, then ground and polished to the finished state. So cool!
First Cabochon!
processCommentLarkin finally met the age requirement to join the Roxy Ann Gem and Mineral Society at Crater Rock Museum and learn to use their machines! Here’s Larkin’s very first cabochon made from a stone our family found on the northern California coast. We know the matrix is quartz— any rock hounds out there who know what forms the dark streaks?
Here Comes the Sun (Do do do doo!)
processCommentThe sunstone is finally out of the rock tumbler! These gleaming sparklies are sure to inspire something lovely. After the snow melts. ;)
