After a few design iterations and some wear testing (after a day of normal wear the copper caused no skin discoloration-- woot!), Larkin is ready to offer these sparkling gemstone cuff bracelets! They are one-size-fits-most and will be slightly loose on a 5 inch circumference wrist, and snug on a 7 inch circumference wrist. These two are silver with smooth turquoise and copper with faceted amethyst, and they're also currently available with faceted garnet and lapis lazuli (but I happen to know that Larkin loves an excuse to buy more gemstone beads if you'd like to commission a different stone 😉).
process
Two-faced Applegate Jade
process, productCommentLarkin made this piece for a customer who wanted an applegate jade cab with no wire work. Larkin drilled a hole sideways through the top so the cord wouldn't interrupt the faces of the stone, and polished both sides with a dome so it is fully reversible. First two pictures are taken with the rough stone the cab was cut from.
Eye Of The Beholder
process, musings, productCommentLarkin is currently working on a wrap for this cab. This is from a piece of Applegate jade our family found. Larkin included some of the stone's rind and I love the effect of the combined translucence and opacity. Looks to me like a perfect sandy underwater scene. Larkin says it depicts an angry, monstrous frog rising from the deep. To each their own!
Avatar Elements
musings, process, productCommentLarkin got an order for this flowing "water" pendant and discovered it's time to re-stock! Whether or not you're a fan of the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender series (or its equally compelling sequel The Legend of Korra), these elements translate beautifully into wire!
As a side note, I'm kind of blown away by Larkin's ability to re-produce designs! The stock image of all four elements was taken when they were first designed (1.5-2 years ago?) and the solo water was made yesterday. We always include a disclaimer about how, like all handmade products, actual items may vary slightly from the photos, but sheesh! Vary VERY slightly! ;)
Obsidian Disks
process, productLarkin formed this striking pendant from three obsidian disks, polished flat rather than as traditionally domed cabs to showcase the patterning in the stone. In the shade (or against a dark background) the stones have the traditional appearance of glossy black obsidian, but against a pale background you can see the swirling black patterns in the otherwise grey stone. Either way, the argentium silver wrap really gleams against the stone!
Obsidian is tricky to work with— the smallest disk has a very small chip near the edge and the middle disk has a stabilized crack (barely visible against the right edge in some photos). This one is priced lower than most silver-wrapped three-cab pieces would be. ;)
Undulating Applegate Jade
product, process, musingsCommentSome of you may remember this unique cabochon Larkin cut and polished from an Applegate jade stone found by our family. This particular cab is a bit of a chameleon— looking black in some light and deep, mottled green in others. The argentium silver wrap brings out the stone’s natural gleaming magnetite inclusions and the whimsically asymmetric bail suits the cab beautifully!
Idle Talons Was Here
fun, process, musingsCommentLarkin finished work on this approximately head-sized Gallifreyan wall hanging today! This piece embodies a whack-ton of soldering (I'm pretty sure that's the official term), circles and straight lines (two of Larkin's least favorite things to make) so it was truly a labor of love! Larkin chose to leave the copper natural rather than oxidizing and polishing it. Just in case your Gallifreyan is a wee bit rusty, this self-referentially proclaims "Idle Talons made this." Recursive much?
Two-Stone Commission
process, productCommentThis commissioned piece caused a lot of hemming and hawing and head scratching on Larkin's part. The customer had two gorgeous stones they wanted incorporated into a single wrap. The smaller stone is a rough opal with a lovely flash. The larger stone is rutilated amethyst, cut in an irregular shape with straight edges. Larkin's usual flowy, swoopy style had to be adjusted to do these stones justice! Larkin kept the back very simple because the amethyst is so transparent it would be easy to overwhelm the striking rutile needles.
Chert Marquise
product, processCommentLarkin cut this blue-green chert cab to show off its beautiful veining-- it even has a druzy pocket that geologic conditions did not quite manage to fill with druzy. Wrapped in copper that follows the lines of a couple of the most prominent veins, the finished piece is oxidized and polished to a gleaming finish. Pictures of front and back of piece.
Gleaming Leaves
musings, process, productCommentNew leaves going up in the next day or so-- including Larkin's first two pairs of leaf earrings! These are truly a labor of love-- it turns out making small, matching cabochons is not for the faint of heart. I was wondering if stone earrings would be heavy, but each of the larger applegate jade earrings weighs less than a quarter.
There are also two more applegate jade pendants here-- they've been hard to keep in stock! I questioned the choice of blue aventurine for the small pendant, but Larkin started singing Harry Chapin's "Flowers Are Red" at me and I have been suitably chastised. (Look it up if you don't know the song-- heartbreaking!)
Sunset Sodalite Wings
product, musings, processCommentLarkin cut this cabochon from sunset sodalite, so named due to the areas of pink/peach in the otherwise brilliant blue stone. Sunset sodalite is said to bring its wearer clarity, strength, and confidence.
With a wingspan of 14.5 cm and a drop of almost 8 cm from the tips of the wings to the base of the stone, this is a bold statement piece with delicate details. This is the largest piece Larkin has made to date-- zooming in on the stone seemed in order!
Russian Leaf Earrings
product, processCommentLarkin is making progress on a custom wrap (holy two stones, Batman!) and taking some breaks to restock these dainty, sparkling russian leaf earrings. Only $12 dollars/pair and ready for shipment! If you're wondering if other colors are available, I should clearly give you a tour of Larkin's epic bead stash! ;)
Latest Cabochons
musings, processCommentLarkin's latest cabs! This lot is petrified wood (one with a polished face, one with rough grain as found), applegate jade, and yellow jasper/agate. I'm excited to see what becomes of this lot! New shapes, and, what's that? Matched cabs? What could it mean...? ;)
Channel Set Cuff Bracelet
process, musings, productCommentLarkin has been wanting to try channel setting and made this cuff bracelet out of copper and amethyst. It's a nice prototype and Larkin is thinking of making a few in silver, and maybe some rings in a similar style. What do you think-- is it a design worth playing with? Are there stones you'd like to see? :)
Biggs Jasper Tree of Life
product, processCommentThis piece was made from the very first cabochon that Larkin cut and polished! The story goes that the instructor at the rock shop gave the students common oval rough cut stones to learn on (very practical), but Larkin's first piece broke off its dop stick so they replaced it with a pretty gorgeous rough cut teardrop piece of black banded jasper.
The beautiful patterning on the stone is subtle and jumps out in direct light, while the stone appears almost obsidian black in the shade. The frame is shaped from copper which has been oxidized and polished until it gleams, adding amazing depth and texture to the piece. The tree is formed from bright silver that stands out brilliantly against the darker frame and stone.
Ocean Cliff Chert
process, productCommentLarkin cut this blue-green chert cabochon from a stone found by the ocean in northern California. Wrapped mostly in copper, an argentium silver wire follows the most prominent veins in the stone. Accent beads are copper and silver.
Breezy Chert Scroll
process, productCommentLarkin cut this petite cabochon from a last corner of this beautiful pale blue-green chert we found in northern California. The cab, slightly smaller than a penny, has a vein of quartz cutting across one side. The spiral scrollwork gives the wrap a light, ephemeral feeling, but this adornment of copper and stone is deceptively solid!
Rose Quartz/Obsidian Doublet
product, processCommentLarkin formed this doublet cabochon by backing a piece of rose quartz with obsidian, resulting in a gorgeous combination that really shows off the flash and detail in the quartz. Wrapped in argentium silver to complement the flowing, underwater feel of the stone.
Lace Agate Gate
product, process, musingsCommentLarkin wanted to play with a door/gate design similar in organic feel to the leaves, and here is the prototype! Even the jump ring was soldered to complement the piece. Larkin has some ideas to modify the design, but I like how this arched lace agate cab looks like a gateway into a secret garden!
Going On A Jade Hunt
musings, processCommentWe drove out to the Applegate yesterday, mostly for recreational reasons-- we never even saw another human outside of a car! For Larkin and Emile recreation = rockhounding. I am not, however, sure that Larkin's yoga swing rockhounding is going to catch on. ;)
They were wildly successful-- there are some super promising (BIG!) chunks of applegate jade I can't wait to see cut! I'm glad they knew what to look for after a trip out with the local rock club-- applegate jade almost always comes with a nondescript brownish crust that looks nothing like the gorgeous, glowing green stone within.
