We're all kind of in love with this commission Larkin just finished!
The cabochon is a large (we think it's Montana) agate with a raw edge and a substantial druzy layer. Larkin wanted to protect the cab with a robust frame, and the customer wanted an organic plant-y feeling design. Some leafing vines, a custom bail, a few mushrooms and a couple of wild roses really complement the stone beautifully!
Larkin is still tweaking this ring design. What do you think? It feels a bit more... industrial? than most of their work. Does it need something more flowy and viney or is something a little different fun?
Larkin got a few new kinds of faceted stones to play with ring settings. This is a lavender cubic zirconium set into a silver ring with leafing vines. It's so sparkly! Larkin plans to make the same design with a few different stones.
The silver has been oxidized then mostly re-polished to bright, with the areas of dark behind the vines adding a bit of extra dimensionality.
Pay no attention to the awkward human trying to pretend they're a natural ring model. 😅
Larkin and Emile we're planning on hunting rhodonite with our local gem and mineral club yesterday, but the trip was changed so they opted to revisit a favorite local spot. They only brought home one rock... But what a rock! This giant petrified wood stump still needs some cleaning up, and may never be cut for jewelry work, but it will have a place of honor in our rock garden!
Do *you* want to believe?
Larkin sees a landscape in this blue-grey-green serpentine cabochon that has seen better days, perhaps due to the arrival of little green aliens.
The back is somehow hopeful, with silver stars twinkling through the branches of a tree. The black in the stone contains iron and will attract a magnet!
While it may take awhile for this piece to find its perfect home, we *do* believe that just the right fan of post-apocalyptic alien invasion fine jewelry is out there!
Tomorrow is first Tuesday! If you're local, come say hi to Larkin at the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market at the Ashland Armory from 9am -1:30pm. All the ring designing left Larkin in need of a ring display! Most of their displays feature natural elements from our hillside, and Larkin wanted these to fit in. A couple of hours, a little help from their dad, a chainsaw, super glue and some black felt resulted in this. A suitable addition to the Idle Talons booth :)
Larkin made a variation of this silver ivy ring and it's amazing how a slight adjustment in materials and treatment can change the whole feel of a design! The original (right) is all silver and oxidized with the leaves polished back to bright. The new ring (left) has copper leaves for contrast and all the metal is polished bright. I don't know which I like more!
Get ready for something out of this world! ;)
You may remember this doublet that Larkin cut a couple of months ago-- really gemmy applegate jade (bowenite) is super dark, so Larkin sliced it very thin and backed it with a thicker slab of clear/white quartz to really make the green shine. Check out that picture of the stone back-lit!
Larkin laid out the planet’s silver ring so it would follow the naturally occuring line in the stone where it transitions from the lighter, sandier green at the bottom to the deep green at the top. Which brings us to that moon! Larkin shaped the hemisphere of silver and modeled the craters and markings from pictures of Earth’s moon!
Larkin loves the way the quartz back looks so didn't want to obscure too much of it-- silver ivy leaves climb a smaller crescent moon, complementing the feel of the front of the stone. A truly interstellar beauty!
Larkin has completed bazaar custom orders and is back to the fun of design work! Larkin embellished this solid argentium silver comfort band ring with an intricately hand-sculpted vine of ivy leaves. The leaves do not extend all the way around the ring so the band is smooth and comfortable between the fingers. Silver is oxidized dark and then Larkin hand-polished the leaves back to bright. The oxidation will wear off over time in areas that are against the skin, but should stay dark behind the leaves, giving them extra dimensionality.
This comfort band is 4mm wide. Hand model is Larkin's dad, Emile. :)
It was only a matter of time...
Here at Idle Talons, we like to think we've carefully cultivated an audience full of friendly people who find it desirable to appear as if they have fungus growing out of their head. Amiright?
Larkin is busy wrapping up bazaar business this week, but had to to take a break to create these awesome little silver mushroom cluster stud earrings. They are so sweet, and sure to be a conversation starter at all the wild mycologist parties.
Larkin managed to clean up yesterday's... well, learning experience 😅... and finish up this piece! This stone is an opalized petrified wood found by our family in southern Oregon. Larkin loved the way the surface retained the wood texture and grain so they left it rough and polished the sides and back to expose the creamy common opal interior.
The vining wild roses are modeled after the roses that grow in our woods and are hand-shaped from copper with silver centers. The copper mushrooms and roses are untreated and can be kept polished bright or left to develop a natural patina over time.
The silver knob is inserted through a hole drilled in the cab and fastened securely on the back so no adhesives were needed. The silver frame and window on the back completes the look of a magical portal!
If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out this and all the other goodies at https://www.royaboyahandmadebazaar.com/ !
Aaaaagh! Larkin had this frame at the final stage before tying the stone in when this happened. A polishing wheel got tangled in wire and wonked it all up! All the silver had already been hardened into final positions, so it will all have to be re-annealed and shaped. After initial tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth, Larkin thinks they can get it fixed and posted over at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar soon.
Thankfully, no fingers were harmed in this learning experience.
Shopping has officially begun at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar! Shopping is all happening off of Facebook this time around, so it's super easy. Just visit https://www.royaboyahandmadebazaar.com/
Here's a reminder of a few things Larkin has exclusively available there... and there are lots of amazing products from other small, handmade businesses, too! I found a pretty amazing ceramic mug with tentacles that I couldn't pass up ;)
We have a lot of wild roses on our forest floor, and Larkin has paid them wonderful homage with these stud earrings!
The petals of these blooms are hand-cut from sheet copper then shaped, rounded and textured to petal-goodness perfection. The center and post are formed from argentium silver then soldered into place.
Each bloom is about 8 mm in diameter. The copper is untreated and can be kept polished bright or left to develop a natural patina over time.
What's that you say? These would make a lovely addition to a pendant design? Stay tuned, friends... stay tuned. ;)
These and many other new designs will be making their debut this week at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar!
Sound off, it won’t improve your experience at all. ;)
This video is Larkin casting a cylindrical silver ingot. They keep every little bit of silver trim and scrap wire, then melt it down to use again. Right now, Larkin mostly turns the ingots into sheet metal or larger gauges of shaped bands for things like rings-- both a big investment if you buy them pre-made.
It's pretty darn neat watching the silver turn red then melt!
Larkin made a little modification to these cat earrings. Apparently they sometimes shifted and hung from their rear end... which, you know, is kind of appropriate for cats, but maybe not in jewelry form. 😅
A small ring soldered to the tips of their ears keeps them in line. If you have a pair that sometimes flips, you can send it back and Larkin will add the ring and return it!
Today is the last day to get early bird pricing for this upcoming virtual bazaar preview party.
Why might you want to attend the preview party? Many vendors (like Larkin!) make one-of-a-kind products that will be available here first! And, all profits from ticket sales support a great cause. Hope to see you there!
Larkin shipped off a couple of Möbius rings this week and we couldn't resist checking them out stacked!
Another take on Larkin's epic lily pad pendant! This time, in addition to the lily flower, there's a dragonfly tracing swooping circles. And the back! The leaves are the perfect complement to the cattail.
The stone is a dark, gemmy applegate jade (bowenite) found by our family, and the backlit picture shows how it glows green with light behind it.
If you would like to adorn yourself with this miniature silver sculpture, it will be available later this month at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar! Preview tickets support a Ukrainian relief fund, and give you first crack at some of these one-of-a-kind treasures!
Remember those tiny ivy leaves on the petrified wood gate wrap? Larkin biggered them! This copper cuff bracelet is 16 mm wide, with leaves slowly tapering in size from one end to the other. Some leaves hang over the edge just enough for visual interest, but not quite enough to stab a flexed wrist uncomfortably.
It has just enough flex to fit a wide range of wrist sizes-- we still need to experiment to see what the outer limits are! This is one of several pieces Larkin will have exclusively available at the upcoming Royaboya Handmade Bazaar!
