This commission was from a customer requesting a moonstone centerpiece with aquamarine accents. Wrapped in argentium silver, this piece positively glows! Another patron who had come to discuss a commission saw the design and liked it so much they ordered something similar with their own faceted topaz centerpiece.
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Fabulously Festive Festoon
fun, process, productCommentLarkin made this piece as a prototype for a new commission-- always nice to try a new design in copper before committing to silver! The drop cab is poppy jasper, with coordinating beads in orange and yellow/green jasper. The scrollwork is so graceful, and a little research revealed that this style of necklace, wirework connected to cord or chain at two points, is called a festoon. So you are hereby invited to festoon yourself with this festoon!
Necklace of Power!
fun, musings, process, productCommentLarkin crafted the many-sided dice used while playing Dungeons and Dragons from beads and joined them in this imposing necklace. It was probably too time-consuming to become a regular Idle Talons product, but there will no longer be any question who is DM at our house! Sure to be a critical hit with any D&D fan…
Applegate Jade Leaf
process, product, musingsCommentAnother slightly simpler wrap, this time a leaf cabochon Larkin cut and polished from Applegate jade (serpentine) found near our home in southern Oregon. The veins are shaped from fused argentium silver, with the stem end acting as the bail. A simply beautiful design that one customer described as being “the sort of gift any hobbit would be pleased to receive from Galadriel.” (okay, it was Larkin's uncle 😅)
Silver Rose Rings
product, process, musingsCommentAfter a great deal of wear testing (we put them through a lot, although we stopped just short of wearing them while splitting firewood) and quality control, Larkin is ready to offer these sweet rose rings!
These delicate but sturdy adornments are constructed of pure argentium silver— all joints are fused rather than soldered for a smooth, clean look and feel. (I learned jewelers say “fused,” perhaps because it sounds more delicate and less industrial than “welded,” but the meaning is the same.) Roses and leaves are individually constructed and wrap around the band. Our wear testers agree that they are very comfortable! Bands are 18 gauge silver and can be made to fit virtually any digit.
Obsidian Waves
musings, process, productCommentToday's lesson: my photography skills are not ready for Larkin to start working in obsidian. 😂 Look at the first picture. Closer. Zoom right on in there. See our circuit breaker? Yup, clear as day.
This is a black obsidian cab that Larkin polished to a mirror shine (thanks, Larkin). It is a solid, gleaming back, but displays interesting striations when backlit. The contrast between the bright silver and deep black obsidian give this wrap a bold, elegant feel.
Chert Waves
process, productCommentThis is one of the first cabochons Larkin cut and may be the last cab we can get from the stone. The beautiful blue-green chert with quartz veining was found by our family while visiting grandparents in northern California. Larkin wrapped it in copper which has been oxidized and polished.
Snitches Get... Lovely Cords To Hang From
process, fun, productCommentWe spent some time getting pictures with a live model today so it's easier to envision how different pieces hang. Many thanks to Larkin's very patient friend Allison for providing such photogenic clavicles. Allison even brought the perfect shirt for a shot with a snitch!
Lavender Quartz Roses
product, processCommentThe folks at the rock shop were calling this stone lavender quartz since it has so much more blue in it than standard rose quartz. Larkin has been wanting to try a mixed-metal wrap for awhile and inspiration struck with this stone! The frame is argentium silver and the roses are copper. So delicate and lovely!
Treble Clefs Everywhere
fun, productCommentStocking up on treble clefs! Spirals, spirals everywhere!
Plant Frogs!
product, funCommentIt's a sit-by-the-fire-stocking-up kind of day. Today it's little red frog plant jewelry!
Silver Leaf Earrings
musings, process, productCommentLarkin is taking a short break from stone and solder work while we wait for a respirator that should actually fit to arrive (hopefully Monday!). Apparently breaks from certain kinds of work can inspire new designs! These stunningly simple, shaped wire leaves are made from a single piece of 20 gauge silver wire. The wire is shaped, hammered and fused at one point. The result is very elegant— a design that we dare say wouldn’t look out of place gracing Galadriel’s elven lobes! (Thanks to Larkin's younger brother Finn for dipping his human lobes into the glamorous world of ear modelling.)
Custom Tree of Life
product, process, musingsCommentAnother custom commission! (And Larkin's last for the moment if you'd like something on short notice!) The customer wanted a tree of life for their husband including their two children's birthstones. This is the very last cab Larkin was able to cut from that gorgeous chunk of Altman Creek jade we found-- must be time to go out rockhounding again!
Copper Play
fun, process, productCommentThis is a piece Larkin made mostly to play and practice some soldering. It’s far too finicky and time consuming to become an official product, but it will go up on the board next market season as a one-off!
Eye Of The Tiger
process, productCommentAnother custom commission! This customer wanted a green aventurine cab, wrapped in a style that evoked the feeling of a tiger.
Mummy Wrap
musings, process, productCommentI don't want to give away any top secret wire wrapping secrets, but apparently sometimes a little tape does wonders to keep curves in place until they're tied in! Such an elegant work in progress...
Sneakin'
fun, process, productCommentLarkin was working on sketches for a commission and suddenly got a wild hair and had to run off to create this sweet little creature peering out from behind an amethyst wand.
How Long Would It Take 100 Monkeys...
musings, process, productCommentLarkin 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...
Dragon Eye Earrings
productCommentMore dragon eye earrings going up today! I wear Larkin's dragon eyes more than anything else and always get lots of compliments on them!
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!
