Larkin has been thinking about leading some local beading workshops and used Emile and I as guinea pigs for this pattern. We’re both generally pretty crafty but neither of us have done any real beadwork. We (ahem *I*) also presented Larkin with the opportunity to demonstrate both skill and patience when dealing with a particularly obstreperous student. They turned out pretty well! Especially from a distance... Larkin’s are much tighter and more solid feeling than ours...
process
Just One Of The Leaves!
process, productCommentThis is the cabochon that was an award winner at our local rock shop! Made from applegate jade found by our family, Larkin did a beautiful job shaping it into a leaf. The simpler wrap features some of Larkin's new-found soldering skills and the wire really mimics the woody feel of leaf veining. The stem end doubles as the bail. We're pretty excited about this one and have visions of many more leaf shapes dancing in our heads!
Serpentine Tree Of Life
process, product, musingsCommentThis stone is cut from a piece of serpentine, locally known as Applegate Jade, in this case found by our family along Altman Creek. Larkin cut and polished the cabochon, then wrapped it in a tree that looks remarkably like some of the old oaks in the area the stone came from! The details in this piece are especially remarkable given its small size! I included some progress photos because it's always interesting how the chaotic beginnings of a tree of life are given structure.
Van Duzen Jasper Sunburst
musings, process, productCommentHappy New Year from Idle Talons! This is a yellow agatized jasper stone our family found along the Van Duzen River in northern California. Larkin cut and polished the cabochon and wrapped it in a dazzling copper sunburst. May it be a harbinger of the brighter days ahead!
Cabs On Display
fun, musings, processCommentLarkin now has some legit cab cases so it’s convenient to leave them out to drool over and beg for our favorites to be wrapped next. ;) These are all cabochons Larkin has cut and polished, just waiting for inspiration to strike!
Ring Progress
product, process, musingsCommentLarkin has been wanting to work on rings for a long time, and the new torch set-up (plus a professional-grade ring mandrel!) has opened up a lot of possibilities. Larkin is thinking about putting these sweet silver roses on a slightly larger (and maybe hammered) band before calling the design complete. Oxidizing silver is still new and fun, too-- the rosy glow on this piece is a happy coincidence!
New Dragon Eyes
product, processCommentNew dragon eyes up today! Top to bottom, left to right the background images are: light from a distant galaxy, surgeonfish scales, sunlight captured underwater, and a close-up of our sun's corona. The glowing imagery and Larkin's fine beadwork really make them come to life!
Snails!
product, process, musingsCommentOne of Larkin's new toys is a bona fide jeweler's torch, which gives a very precise heat source for fine solder joins. This brings us to a very important question: are there likely to be folks who frequent farmers markets that won't be able to resist a snail family charm necklace?
Lapis Breeze
process, productCommentAfter some time off, Larkin has been anxious to get back to wire work! This lapis lazuli cabochon was cut and polished from a slab gifted to Larkin by a fellow stone aficionado at the rock shop. The wrapped, hammered, and polished silver frame beautifully highlights the gleaming specks in the brilliant stone!
Happy Holidays!
fun, processCommentHappy holidays from the Idle Talons team! Larkin is home from Europe, turned 15 yesterday (big kids need fuzzy onesies, too!), and is buckling down to play/work with some new toys. More soon... we hope you are surrounded by peace and the people you love most as the year winds down.
Hazardous Working Conditions
fun, musings, processCommentBefore Larkin embarked on foreign adventures, I got permission to clean up the Idle Talons studio (sounds fancy, right? ...okay, I mean Larkin’s bedroom). I have three big paper grocery bags going: things to disassemble and reuse pieces, things to finish and list for sale, and WTF. 😂
My favorite find so far is this poor little early prototype that looks like it lost a particularly vicious round of Frogger. Now imagine three paper bags full of things like this spread evenly over 100 square feet, selectively mined with sharp wire ends and needles, and tangled in snarls of wire, thread, and chain. Sometimes supporting a young artist gets a little messy. ;) I can’t wait to see what Larkin does with a clean workspace!
Scallops
fun, process, productCommentNever fear, I have been assigned homework while Larkin gallivants about Europe! ;) We've heard customers call these beaded beauties everything from sea shells or fairy tunnels to purses. Now in a few more popular colors, lovely by any name.
Bonus shot of Larkin at the top of the Eiffel Tower!
Mais Oui!
fun, processCommentI may have buried the lead when I previously posted about Larkin's fan art necklace for a favorite author. The book signing? In PARIS! Larkin had an amazing opportunity to spend a couple of weeks traveling in France and Italy with a wonderful family we know and the book signing was today. Larkin replaced the chain between the charms with straight copper rods which cleaned up the look and really made the charms stand out.
This also explains why things have been a little quiet on our end lately. ;) However, we home-bound Idle Talons minions are ready to ship any orders in Larkin's absence, so please keep Idle Talons in mind as you do your holiday shopping!
A Handful Of Beaded Baubles!
fun, product, processComment
More Solder Play
process, musingsCommentThese are neither a matched set nor a finished product, but they needed to be hung to photograph-- All the shaky, sparkly little dangling bits don't lay flat well. This is a copper and lapis lazuli design that has been floating around in Larkin's head for some time but wrapping alone didn't leave them rigid enough. The one on the left has solder-only connections and the one on the right has wrapped connections that have been stabilized with solder. Which would you prefer once the joints have been neatened up?
Not The One Ring, The First Ring!
process, musingsCommentThese bursts of creative energy when a new toy or technique presents itself is so fun to watch! Larkin has been wanting to play with rings for quite a while but a lack of solder made it difficult to make really nice designs. This is still a work in progress. The first picture shows the "front" of the ring... every single spot the twist touches the framing wire has a tiny solder spot. The second picture shows the join-- it's solid, but obviously will improve with repetition! There is more to learn about getting the surface of the metal back to smooth and shiny after heat treatment, but this is a pretty nice start within days of beginning to play with jewelry soldering!
Author Appreciation Project
fun, musings, process, productCommentThe author of one of Larkin's very favorite web comics/graphic novel series is doing a signing, and Larkin made this charm necklace as a fan gift. The leaves, hearts and stars are the interstitial doodles the author uses around frames and between chapters, translated into wire.
<replacing my admin hat with my parent hat> Larkin is feeling very hesitant/self-conscious about giving this gift at the signing. I maintain that this is the kind of fan interaction that will make an author's day (if not month!) and Larkin should include an Idle Talons card with the gift. Please leave an encouraging comment telling Larkin how right I am (😂) if you feel so inclined.
The series is Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, and is an almost impossibly sweet coming-of-age/romance/coming out story. Highly recommended if you need more warm fuzzies in your life.
Solder On...
fun, musings, processCommentLarkin has some designs planned that require soldering connections. Soldering with a torch rather than an iron on a teeny tiny jewelry scale is, well, somewhat terrifying to behold. Here's to learning new tricks for the Idle Talons toolbox!
To Patina Or Not To Patina
musings, fun, process, productCommentLarkin is working to make more designs available in silver as well as copper, and we'd love your input! The pair of earrings on the left is bright, polished silver. The pair on the right has been patinaed then polished. Should Idle Talons make both available? Do you think one would me more popular than the other?
Idle Talons works with argentium silver, an alloy that contains a higher percentage of elemental silver than sterling, and replaces some of the copper content with germanium which makes it more tarnish resistant than any other silver alloy.
Hail That Cab!
process, product, funCommentLarkin entered a cabochon into the Roxy Ann Gem and Mineral Society monthly contest for the first time and won! It's hard to get a good picture through the case, but this is a piece cut from a slab of local Applegate jade. Larkin has a leaf wrap planned for the cab, but it will be on display at Crater Rock Museum through November so the wrap will have to wait! The prize includes some free machine time (more cabs!) and means that the next cabochon Larkin submits will be considered at intermediate level. Woot!
