Winged Sunburst

I am still at the coast, avoiding the heat wave currently blasting the Idle Talons home studio, but Larkin has been sending me progress photos so I don't feel quite so out of touch. I thought y'all might enjoy a start-to-finish glimpse into what goes into one of Larkin's pieces as much as I do!

Spoiler: Larkin was going for dragon-worshipping-the-sun vibes.

First step after coming up with a concept: deciding on size! Larkin cut some wing templates out of cardboard to help with the decision.

The middle size seems Just Right. Bonus glimpse of grubby teen jeweler paws.

Another cardboard template, this time a sunburst!

For this kind of detailed work, Larkin cuts the template out of sticker paper so it can be applied to the metal and used as a cutting guide. Here you can also see all the pilot holes they drilled through the metal so their saw has a starting point.

40 minutes of painstaking cutting later, and the sunburst is all cut out!

Hand polishing/grinding gets all the little burrs and sharp spots out of the cut-out so its edges are rounded and smooth.

Last check with templates before committing silver!

Silver wings! Cut out and textured.

Adding spines to the wings. Every little connection point and detail is another opportunity for the torch to cause the metal to slump which would require starting the whole process over.

Details are starting to come together!

This piece got a full rainbow finish after first heat!

The back of a wing after torchwork. The scorching is such a neat effect-- it's too bad it won't stand up to smoothing/polishing.

Veining is all done-- now for more details!

The tip of each "finger" gets a hand-sculpted talon. You can see the top one is the only complete one in this photo.

Talons and tails are cut, shaped, and ready for soldering!

Copper sunburst, talons and tails are all in place. Just need to add some attachment points for a cord on the back.

Pickled (Larkin uses a hot citric acid bath) and cleaned/tumbled to remove the torch scorch. A bit of hand-polishing and it will be done!

Taaaaaadaaaaaaah!

A quarter for scale and cord attached through hidden bails to show how it will hang!

Batchwork

More prepping for in-person markets is occupying Larkin in the Idle Talons studio this week. There's something very satisfying about photos of batchwork... these not-yet-earrings make me want a tiny hand-blown glass vase in which to arrange them! It's always fun to see them next to their shiny, finished counterparts.

A Perfect Swarm

Apparently a still group of dragonflies is called a static swarm, as opposed to a migratory swarm if they're on the move. This swarm will be moving along soon! ;)

It still blows me away that these charred, dull-looking bits of metal turn out so delightfully shiny after pickling and polishing!

Rainbow Throwback

These beaded rainbow spirals were brought out of retirement at the request of someone who attended last month's pride event. Larkin doesn't do a lot of beadwork these days but enjoys re-visiting it now and then! These colorful bangles were sent off to their new home today.

… And I hear rumors of a morning glory vine ring on Larkin's workbench-- hopefully we'll see it soon!

Cat Tail Earrings

Cat tail earrings! Larkin really captured the essence of the plant with these hand-sculpted beauties! Available with either a silver or copper teardrop frame; silver is polished bright, copper is oxidized then Larkin hand-polishes the silver cat tails back to bright. No two are exactly identical, but they are all identically lovely! 😉

Posts may be a little slow because our family is split between two different states this month! Larkin and Emile are home where they can work while Jenny and Finn ran off to the coast to enjoy some cooler weather and time with grandparents. What does this have to do with Idle Talons? Well, I (Jenny) usually photograph and post Larkin's work so we are working out some kinks and delays!

Currant Events

Currantly (sic...wait for it) on Larkin's workbench: A currant leaf and its nervous system! Inspiration is all around us

On Applegate Jade Pond

This bucolic pond scene takes place over an “applegate jade” (bowenite) cabochon, modeled after the shape a drop of water forms when hanging from a large curved surface.

Larkin spent a lot of time studying water as it dripped from their fingertip as part of their lapidary shaping process! The stone is a deep green with grey and black inclusions, attracts a magnet, and is partially translucent when back-lit.

As usual, Larkin hand-sculpted all of the elements from silver wire and sheet metal, with a small copper ball at the center of the lily flower. The custom bail features a small lily pad and wandering vine.

This pendant measures 5.6 cm long (including the bail) and 4.0 cm at its widest point.

Grass Stem Cuff Bracelet

Larkin sculpted this solid silver cuff bracelet featuring a grass seed stem, with the stem at one end of the cuff and the grass tip at the other.

Just like on the grass stem it was modeled after, Larkin meticulously individually shaped the seed heads so they start out larger and more widely spaced and get smaller and closer together towards the tip of the stalk.

The band measures 1.5 cm wide and will fits wrists with a circumference of 6-8.5 inches. Larkin oxidized the argentium silver, then polished it back to bright on the surface, leaving areas around the seed heads darker for added dimensionality.

Grass Roots Jewelry

One of these is not like the others...

Sneak peek! Larkin's latest inspiration came from our property's need for a final summer weed-whacking! 😅 The finished piece should be polished and photographed tomorrow... stay tuned!

Applegate Jade Night Magic

I was telling Larkin that their recent work has very wonderful witchy vibes. Lo and behold, at last weekend's market someone bought FIVE (!!) wraps... for their coven!

This latest applegate jade (bowenite) piece definitely has a similar feel. Larkin wove the base of the frame from copper, while the tree and ivy leaves are hand-sculpted from argentium silver. The whole piece was oxidized, then Larkin hand-polished the silver back to bright.

Larkin always complains about the "messy" finish on tree backs, but all those wires have to end somewhere!

This piece truly feels like a portal into a magical world! Measures 4.5 cm long and 3.8 cm at its widest point.

Humboldt Jasper Oak Leaves

Larkin cut the stone in this pendant from jasper found by our family in Humboldt County, California. The stone has moss-like deep red coloration at the top that slowly transitions to orange-yellow highlights at the bottom.

Between, Larkin swooped a flurry of hand-cut and shaped copper oak leaves, modeled after actual leaves from the white and black oaks in the forest around our home in southern Oregon. The wrap is topped with a custom matching bail, and backed with a windy free-form wire design.

The details on the leaves is pretty extraordinary! Larkin cut them out individually with a jeweler's saw, and they are varied sizes, each with a distinct silhouette. Then they are each veined and shaped into their final form!

Work In Progress Wednesday

Larkin's at it again, folks, working on a whole bunch of things in parallel and finishing nothing. 😅 This time of year, they want to soak in the beautiful, mild weather outside. So all these frames have their wrapped sections mostly complete (the "hammock" portion 🤣) and are waiting for Larkin to be inspired to do some torch work (the indoor portion). Larkin is highly suggestible... any votes on which of these should get priority when inspiration strikes?

New Sword Option!

Larkin now has these sword rings with either garnet or blue cubic zirconia gemstones! Larkin has chosen to source lab-created gems rather than natural gemstones because laboratory conditions are fairly well controlled, while the gem mining and cutting industry is vastly unregulated with many workers dealing with inhumane conditions. This is also why Larkin is moving towards working almost exclusively with stones found by themself, friends, or family.

Larkin is hoping to save up for a faceting machine so they can shape their own fancy sparkles from self-found stones!

Silver Moon Swirls Ring

A new ring design! This time Larkin cut a crescent moon from sheet metal and embellished it with smokey whisps. The decoration does not extend all the way around the comfort band so the band is smooth and comfortable between the fingers. Larkin oxidized the silver dark and then the hand-polished the moon and silver swirls back to bright. The oxidation will wear off over time in areas that are against the skin, but should stay dark behind the decoration, giving the ring extra dimensionality.

Wild Rose Studs

Larkin has now made these sweet little wild roses in both silver and copper. And just in time... the roses here are in full, glorious bloom!

In the group photos, the copper has been un-polished for about a month and developed a natural patina. In the solo photo, the copper is straight out of the polisher. I think I prefer the patina, how about you?

First Tuesday!

Tomorrow is first Tuesday! Larkin will be at the Rogue Valley Growers and Crafters Market in Ashland at their NEW LOCATION! While the armory is being remodeled the market will be held at 1554 Webster St., at the northwest corner of Ashland Street and Walker Avenue. https://ashland.news/rogue-valley-growers-market-moves-to-new-location/

Also, Larkin now has mushroom studs as singles, doubles, and clusters of three! While trying to figure out what to call a group of mushrooms, I found this internet gem from The Mushroom Journal: "Mushrooms that are in a close group but not close enough to be called a cluster are said to be in a troop. Mushrooms in a group that is a bit more scattered and irregular (loose discipline!) are said to be gregarious." Check out these gregarious lovelies!

Petrified Wood Terrarium

Larkin created the stone base of this piece from agatized petrified wood found by our family here in Southern Oregon. They left the top raw to show the look and feel of the original wood and polished the rest of the cabochon to a domed shine. Larkin used a combination of bezel-setting and prong-setting techniques to achieve the desired hanging silver terarrium effect, and left the back open to maximize Cool Wood Visibility.

A cluster of three mushrooms peeks up from behind the stone, and a vine of hand-cut and textured ivy leaves climbs up one side. The pendant dangles freely from the custom mushroom bail (a great feature for jewelry... and a pain in the neck for photography!). The back:

Side note: this picture features a wee fir seedling with its bright green spring growth tips. I like the juxtaposition of the brand new wood with the so-old-it's-petrified wood in the piece.

Applegate Jade Witchy Portal

As promised, my New Favorite Piece! (Yes, most of Larkin's work briefly holds that title, but still...)

This is a super gemmy applegate jade (bowenite) cabochon that Larkin framed in silver vining ivy. Just look at that beautiful green glow it has when back-lit!

Larkin started the ivy leaves by texturing the sheet silver this time, which gives them an amazing veiny-looking surface. They are cut by hand from sheet metal, then the main veins added with a chisel (Larkin didn't have a chisel small enough so they fashioned one from a nail!).

I'm loving the custom bails Larkin has been adding lately-- this one features a crescent moon that accentuates the still night feeling of the piece. The back includes a fused silver tree with a moon in its branches (the picture of the back has the original stone in the background). The whole frame was oxidized dark, then the leaves, vines, and moon were hand-polished back to bright.

My photos don't do this piece justice... in real life there is more contrast between the darkly gleaming oxidized background silver and the bright polished silver features. The vines and leaves really gleam against the darker background metal, and the bright moon on the back positively glows in the dark tree branches.

This one has some serious dark, witchy vibes!

Throwback Thursday

We haven't been sharing much here lately because Larkin is at that stage in their work cycle where they work on a whole bunch of stuff in parallel and finish everything all at once in a fit of industry (usually right before a market... yep, first Tuesday is coming up!). I'm pretty sure my New Favorite Wrap is almost done and will be shared soon!

Meanwhile, this popped up in my memories just in time for throwback Thursday... Larkin's very first market! This was four years ago today, when Larkin was 13. Pretty much everything here is beadwork, with two little wire pieces serving as harbingers of what was to come. No stonework at all since Larkin did not yet meet the age requirements at our local rock machine shop. They look a little more comfortable at markets these days.

Silver Dragonfly Earrings

Silver dragonflies! These pretties went on a family hike with us yesterday and got some fun new photography backgrounds for their debut.

Larkin textured and hand-cut the wings, shaped the body with the torch and topped them off with swoopy 20 gauge ear wires.

On a (only-tangentially) hike-related note, did you know the only known bigfoot trap is located here in southern Oregon? Bonus photo of Larkin with their younger brother Finn inside the trap, because that's how we roll! 😅

Want to know more about the bigfoot trap? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigfoot_trap