Frame for plexiglass display cover built and painted, test booth layout laid out... Guess we're ready for this! Locals: Idle Talons will be at RVGCM at the Ashland Armory for the very first market of the season tomorrow-- here's hoping tomorrow is as glorious as today! Hours are 8:30-1:30 and Larkin would love to see you there!
Larkin is SO EXCITED to be returning to in-person markets at Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market this season! As in 2019, Idle Talons will be at the Ashland Armory every first Tuesday of the month from 8:30 am - 1:30 pm starting <eep!> next week. Our family did a bit of soul searching regarding safety, but RVGCM is an outdoor market and has a dedicated social distancing officer. Our experience as shoppers last year made us pretty comfortable with the level of masking and social distancing accomplished by this amazing group of organizers and vendors.
Today has been all about populating Larkin's product board-- we're loving how the cards with printing and the logo up the professional feel! First markets are always a little chilly and slow-- if you're local stop by and say hi next Tuesday!
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!
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.
Larkin couldn't resist buying a slab of this rose quartz! The good folks at the rock shop affectionately called it "lavender quartz" due to its uncharacteristic blue-ish hue. Larkin cut and polished the round cabochon and wrapped it in copper wire, accented with argentium silver roses and leaves.
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.
Larkin has officially wrapped up (so to speak) the last Idle Talons commission from the Royaboya Bazaar! This customer liked the leaves... but wanted more! Larkin strung them up on a branch in the same hybrid wrap/solder style as the stems. This lovely blue-green chert is definitely a favorite.
A customer at Larkin's last bazaar loved a wrap that had already sold, so they commissioned Larkin to recreate this magical moonstone piece wrapped in argentium silver. The first photo captures the flash of the moonstone, but the piece is slightly foreshortened. The second photo is a better representation of its finished proportions. Off to its new home!
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!
This is Larkin's second foray into bezel setting, this time in copper. Larkin cut the cheerfully asymmetric tear drop cabochon from a fabulously patterned purchased jasper slab. Larkin's style really comes through in the wirework holding it in place on back. This piece will be available at the upcoming Royaboya Handmade Bazaar-- if you haven't joined the group yet, what are you waiting for? ;) Lots of fun will be had, all while supporting small, mom- and youth-owned businesses!
Hi everyone, this is Larkin. I don't do as much beading as I used to, but in honor of the inauguration and anticipation of less hostility towards LGBTQ+ folks from the incoming administration I thought I would post these. I never found any techniques online for making a beaded flag that I was happy with, so it was particularly satisfying to work out this pattern (using an expanding and decreasing brick stitch) to make pride flags.
Here's the product of yesterday's metal play! Larkin fashioned a copper ring band and embellished it with a handcrafted silver rose and decorative "rivets," plus copper leaves. Larkin wanted to oxidize the copper dark while leaving the silver bright, and the slightly mixed results ended up with a really interesting worn look! The style is a striking mix of tough and delicate, steam punk and fairy-land, fetish and... well, maybe I should stop while I'm ahead. 😅
Larkin's room is looking more and more like a jewelry studio all the time, full of glorious, creative chaos! Larkin was hoping to get more rock work done today, but came in with frozen fingers. So a pivot to silver smithing play... with copper. Is that a thing? Does anyone talk about copper smithing? This kind of metal work is a pretty new trick and I'm excited to see what comes of it!
Oh, man, I just can't get enough of this red jasper we found near Larkin's grandparent's house in Humboldt County, California. We think the black is a magnesium or iron-based deposit, and it polishes up beautifully. The picture of the back of the wrap shows the end of the stone from which it was cut.
The cab's red and black brecciated surface is perfect for this beaming sun wrap. Wrapped in oxidized and gleaming copper, this red jasper sun is gorgeously celestial!
Larkin braved the cold of our rock shop (okay, okay... it's a tent... without heat... and all rock work is done in water) for a couple of hours today and turned out these new double-sided cabs. These are domed and polished on both faces, with a hole drilled sideways through the top so they can be hung on a cord. Top: serpentine; bottom left: chert; bottom right: some kind of funky orbicular jasper from who-knows-where that should obviously be worn by someone with a penchant for pizza.
Larkin's grandma had put in a request for first rights of refusal to the next batch of leaves. She saw these and wanted them all. From left to right: red jasper, applegate jade, and what we think is applegate jade with some super striking impurities. So, I guess what I came here to say is: aren't these pretty? You can't have them! Larkin should have more done in the next few days. If you’re a leaf fan, these tend to sell extremely quickly! If you’re not lucky enough to be Larkin’s grandma, we highly recommend you follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Idle.Talons where we usually give fans a first chance to purchase before listing here. :)
Our family found this serpentine stone near our home in southern Oregon. Confession: we brought it home thinking it might be applegate jade before we learned what applegate jade really looks like in the wild. But what a wonderful learning mistake since the stone has gorgeous grey-green coloring and swirly patterns! The first picture shows the wrap with the stone from which it was cut. Then I took a bunch more pictures because everything is pretty in the rain. 😬
Larkin thought the grey-green swirls in the round cabochon were calling out for a planet wrap! The argentium silver lines in the planet’s rings follow the natural shift in patterns in the stone, complementing the serpentine beautifully.
Over the holidays, Larkin's uncle spoiled us with a laser cutter AND an airbrush! Between the two, Larkin's packaging has seriously leveled up! From now on, wire wraps will come in these fancy hand-painted boxes featuring the Idle Talons logo!
A kind neighbor saw Larkin's work and offered up some cabs that her father had cut in the 1960s. This plume agate is one of those pieces. We don't know any more about the provenance of the stone, but the wrap makes it look like a small portal into an underwater landscape! The top of the cab is quite translucent and Larkin designed the wire curls on its back to complement it when they show through.
We broke in 2021 with a close-to-home rockhounding trip today! Found some gorgeous jaspers and agates and petrified wood (oh my!). One chunk of petrified wood is the size of Larkin's head and has agate veining and druzy pockets! It's the kind of specimen that makes it hard to decide whether to cut it up...
