A special request for a silver wrapped butterfly is winging its way to its new home today!
product
Custom Heart
product, process, musingsCommentNow that the fun busy-ness of the bazaar has wrapped up, Larkin is catching up on custom orders! The first picture is the gorgeous (almost rainbow) jasper cab Larkin received from the customer. They wanted it re-wrapped, in a simple style that was secure but left as much of the stone visible as possible. The second and third pictures are the front and back that Larkin came up with. Larkin had not wrapped a heart-shaped stone before and this was a fun challenge!
Owl Be Seeing You
fun, process, product, venuesCommentLarkin is still super busy over at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar-- there's still time to join us over there! This sweet little owl is a new addition-- it popped out unexpectedly when Larkin was stocking up on honeysuckle earrings!
Morado Opal Planet
product, process, venues, musingsCommentHere's a close-up of the piece Larkin finished during a live video series in the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar yesterday! The morado opal is such a gorgeous stone-- Larkin thinks there's enough left for one (maaaaybe 2) more cabs. This piece was a commission and will be making its way to its permanent home soon!
Convinced Yet?
venues, product, funCommentWe're pulling out all the stops to convince you to join us at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar! These earrings y'all enjoyed so much will be available exclusively over there until the end of the bazaar in about a week, now in either copper or silver. Idle Talons is a featured vendor on Monday and Larkin will be going live!
Shop Small!
venues, product, processCommentToday's the day! Albums are now open over at the Facebook Royaboya Handmade Bazaar! These clearance pieces are all on sale for the first time on-line-- you may recognize some of them. ;) Many of these are practice pieces, prototypes, or pieces that just took too much time to make the regular Idle Talons line-up. It would be a huge help to Larkin if you would check out the Idle Talons album in the group and comment on your favorite pieces-- that bumps them up in the group feed! :)
Royaboya Handmade Bazaar
product, venues, musingsCommentThis brilliant blue aventurine cabochon was calling out for an ocean-themed wrap! These flashing silver scales will make their debut on Friday at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar! Roya has outdone herself with this holiday extravaganza-- live music, lots of prizes, 30 vendors (!), and definitely something for everyone on your holiday shopping list. If you haven't already, join the Facebook group and get ready for a fun shopping experience from the safety and comfort of home-- but remember the albums aren't open for purchases until Friday!
And Now For Something Completely Different...
musings, process, product, funCommentThese earrings are Larkin's most entertaining commission to date! I would pay good money to have a recording of Larkin's younger brother's double-take when he first spotted them "wait... are those...?!" And all the design conversations we usually have about commissions took on a whole new level of culturally-induced hilarity: "so... is it fun if the nipples move-- even if it's possible for them to end up over one shoulder-- or should I solder them in place?" After consulting with the customer, nipple mobility was the clear winner. I was preemptively banned from ever owning a pair due to the likelihood I would present myself ear-first to people I don't know very well and ask them if they want to play with my nipples. In all seriousness, they're a beautiful celebration of the female form. [inside voice: BOOBIES!]
Moss Agate Doublet Planet
musings, process, productCommentThis cab is Larkin's second doublet! The face is cut from a piece of translucent moss agate, and the backing material is applegate jade. The white spot just above the rings on the face is a common opal inclusion. The complex landscape in the stone was begging for a wrap that is literally out of this world! ;)
We went through a very strict two week quarantine so we could visit Larkin's grandparents safely, and I may have gotten a little carried away with a fresh forest of photo backgrounds... 😅
Audrey II
musings, productCommentLarkin has been stocking up on these whimsical, viney earrings. We named this design Audrey II because it reminds us of seedlings from the plant from Little Shop of Horrors! These are the combos of metals and colors Larkin has made up and are ready to go. Drop beads are all sparkling glass.
A - silver/bright blue
B - silver/rose-violet
C - silver/deep red
D - copper/bright blue
E - copper/rose-violet
F - copper/smooth black
Autumn Leaves!
musings, process, productCommentThese leaves seem especially timely as the forest around us has started (finally!) looking like autumn! These are probably the last batch of leaves Larkin will have done in time for the winter holidays-- fair warning if you happen to be looking for gorgeous hand-made gifts. ;)
A - red jasper
B - applegate jade
C - grossular garnet
D - red jasper
E - applegate jade
F - mahogany obsidian
G - chert
H - dark green jasper
I - applegate jade (with rind)
K - moss agate
L - red jasper
M - applegate jade
N - red jasper
Random reminder: applegate jade often appears quite dark, but is a deep green stone, remarkably translucent when back-lit!
A Very Happy Saturday, Indeed!
process, musings, productCommentNew wire play, including handmade ear hooks which Larkin has had in mind for a while. We need a name for this new design-- what do you think? Are they peacock-y? Breezy?
Red Jasper Burst
product, process, musingsCommentFresh off Larkin's workbench! The first picture is taken with the red jasper stone from which Larkin cut the cab. Gorgeous colors, and I'm really digging the asymmetric design. I can't help thinking this piece evokes a lot of feelings of motion and flow for something made from hard stone and wire!
Exclusive Offer For Facebook Fans
venues, product, process, musings, funCommentIf you haven’t followed Idle Talons over on Facebook, now is a great time to start! Larkin caught the pumpkin-spice-and-everything-nice autumn bug and designed these sweet little (almost exactly quarter-sized) charms! These perfectly plump pumpkins feature textured stems with curly vines and will come on an 18" cord for $18 shipped to the U.S. They can also be made into earrings for $33 shipped. Join us on Facebook to get your pumpkin on! It's finally starting to feel like fall, y'all!
Morado Opal With Roses
musings, process, productCommentLarkin cut this round cabochon from a brilliant Mexican morado (purple) opal stone, wrapped it in copper, and accented it with handcrafted argentium silver roses and sterling beads (the beads picked up a coppery hue in the polishing process).
Another photography challenge-- the stone is super reflective and a brilliant purple similar to amethyst, not as blue as the full sun photo makes it look. I also included a picture of the back with a penny for size reference-- sometimes I forget after taking/editing photos just how diminutive many of Larkin's pieces are! Images on a phone screen are often far closer to actual size than the giant images on a computer screen. So much detail in this little gem!
Copper Foxes
product, process, musings, funCommentLarkin designed these copper foxes* as an addition to a wire-wrapped pendant, but they are so charming we couldn’t resist offering them on their own! Each fox is hand-formed from copper wire and lead-free copper solder, pickled in an acidic solution to rid them of torch scorch (self-directed jewelry learning often results in less-than-official terminology), polished of any remaining residue, dipped in liver of sulphur to oxidize, then polished one last time. They have a ton of personality and eminently boopable snouts!
*Some viewers may see these as coyote pups. Idle Talons hereby acknowledges your right to interpret art however you wish, but insists that in this case you are wrong. 😉🤣🦊
Opal Commision
product, musingsCommentAnother two-cab wrap! This customer wanted a wrap that included their gorgeous dark opal alongside an applegate jade cab from Larkin's collection. All wrapped up in argentium silver, this is another piece that looks very different depending on the lighting!
Fun With Packaging
fun, process, productCommentLarkin was gifted a batch of leopard print jewelry boxes, and we decided to turn them into something a little more on-brand for Idle Talons. ;) From now on, higher ticket items will arrive in fun, hand-painted dragon themed boxes! 🐉
Companion Pieces
musings, process, productCommentLarkin has been asked several times about potential companion wraps-- for significant others, parent and child, siblings, best friends, etc. These two were not designed with that in mind, but they were cut from the same spectacular red jasper stone (pictured rough) and certainly fit the bill!
Larkin completed the one on the left several months ago, and did not look back on it before wrapping the one on the right last week-- clearly the stone inspires a certain feel!
In other (tangentially related) news, Larkin passed the DMV's driving test for a learner's permit yesterday! If there is a market season next year, chauffeur service may not be required!
Fossilized Shell Earrings
process, product, musingsCommentBy special customer request, Larkin created this earring version of double-sided cabs. Larkin started with an extra thick slab of fossilized shells, rough cut the shape, drilled a hole sideways through the top of the cab so the face would be unbroken, and domed and polished both sides. Now I want to see some in applegate jade!
