Springtime Applegate Jade

Larkin just finished another piece from that hunk of applegate jade I just can't seem to stop waxing poetic about! 😅 This is not the highest gem-quality specimen, but our whole family loves the patterned swirls of lighter and darker green. Some areas of this stone are opaque, and some glow translucent green when back-lit.

Larkin spent a *ton* of time with the torch, sculpting and fusing elements of the frame so the final wrap would complement the feel of the stone. This piece has beautifully dainty details while feeling solid and sturdy in the hand. The stone in the middle photo is the one from which Larkin cut the cab. Thank goodness we still have about half-a-loaf-of-bread worth of the raw stone still uncut! (I'm pretty sure that's the accepted lapidary measurement scale...)

Cat Earrings

After a brief, long-awaited visit with grandparents (including our family's final Xmas celebrations 😅), Larkin is back at work! These sweet little feline companions are individually handmade and each has a unique personality. They are shaped from a single piece of wire, then fused or soldered to assure sturdiness and that they won’t snag. Available in copper (left), oxidized dark and polished, or argentium silver (right) polished and gleaming bright. Ready for adoption now!

Gallery Milestone

We recently had some pretty exciting news: The very first sale made by the Crooked Mile Gallery after they opened was a pair of Larkin's silver ribbon earrings! There's definitely something to be said for simple elegance and clean lines!

Rose Quartz Moon

A new wrap! And, dare I say, worth the wait! ;) Larkin cut this round cabochon from a slab of rose quartz that was cut diagonal to a band of clearer quartz. When domed and polished, the cab contains a distinctive moon shape! The stone's true color is best depicted in this picture, taken in full sun.

Larkin framed this piece almost entirely in silver with a contrasting arch of copper in the frame on the non-wrapped edge. The back is fashioned to suit the front, with a silver crescent moon and a curling vine with copper leaves. I keep thinking this piece evokes a fairy moon from an ancient illuminated manuscript!

Purrfect Earrings

Hi everyone! We took a bit of a social media break over the holidays, but will have a longer update soon about some exciting new additions to the Idle Talons studio. We hope this finds you happy and healthy in the new year!

Meanwhile, Larkin recently had a request for some wire cats and these silver line art lovelies turned out pretty charming!

Bowling For... Hummingbirds?

Larkin's top favorite bowling alley employee is an amazing guy. He takes donated equipment from more experienced bowlers and passes them on to kids-- it is *amazing* to see kids improve when they have their own custom-fit bowling balls and shoes! He knows *everyone's* names, loves the game, and wants everyone to succeed. He's not a jewelry guy, but Larkin found out his wife has a soft spot for hummingbirds and designed this sweet little pendant especially for her. Cheers to Ken!

Humboldt Chert Shell

Here's a new piece hot off Larkin's workbench! Larkin cut this beautiful blue-green cab from a chert stone our family found on the northern California coast. Larkin wanted the wrap to have an aquatic shell kind of feel, very appropriate for a stone formed by oceanic processes! Larkin shaped the frame with a combination of wrapping and soldering argentium silver. Larkin oxidized the wrap, then polished the exposed wire back to shining to give it a bit more depth and dimension.

Vining Rose Doublet

Hot off the workbench! This piece is currently exclusively available over at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar! There's also a poll going in that group and Larkin might win a prize if you respond that we're the ones who sent you there! (Shameless, huh?)

This cabochon is a doublet that Larkin formed from a face of rose quartz backed by obsidian, resulting in a really unique grey-lavender tone. Wrapped in argentium silver roses and vines, the back is simple to showcase the translucence of the stones. The bail is designed so the cord will thread through the looping vines.

And, yes! That second picture is backlit-- the stones look So. Cool!

Green Lagoon Applegate Jade

Larkin cut this cabochon from a piece of applegate jade found by our family in southern Oregon. Some of the stone’s crust is included at the bottom of the cab and we keep seeing a frog-like face: a creature from the green lagoon!

The main frame is sculpted, wrapped and soldered from copper wire, and the back plate is fused and wrapped in argentium silver wire. I can't decide whether the back looks more like kelp or a Tolkien-esque tree! Plus, the stone glows brilliantly when backlit— this is a gorgeous piece from any angle!

This piece and much more will be featured this evening at Larkin's trunk show with Dancing Beads! Tune in at 7 to see what's new :)

Agate Bouquet

This agate cabochon was a gift from a neighbor whose father did lapidary work in the 1960s. Its face is much flatter than most of Larkin's cabs and encapsulates a perfect still-life bouquet. Larkin thought that an oxidized copper frame without distracting embellishments would best highlight the beauty of the stone.

New Leaves!

Amidst all the recent exciting publicity, Larkin has been hard at work! Larkin rough cuts each of these stone leaves into its unique shape, then grinds and polishes the domed cabs to shiny perfection. A small hand-filed score at the tip of each leaf ensures the surrounding wires stay in place. Larkin then individually sculpts the stems and veins from copper wire and solder, pickles the result to cleanse it of any torch scorches, secures it to the intended leaf, dips the piece in liver of sulphur to oxidize it dark, and polishes to gleaming.

Each leaf is unique in more ways than one-- I've never seen another jeweler make anything like these! I think a fan said it best when they proclaimed these lovelies as "a pendant any hobbit would be proud to receive from Galadriel."

Crooked Mile Gallery Opening

Our family attended the Crooked Mile Gallery opening last night in Phoenix, Oregon. The wine was flowing (Larkin had special permission to attend the 21+ invite-only event as a featured artist), the snacks were tasty, the art was spectacular, and there's something surreal about seeing Larkin's work just casually hanging out with all the big kid art!

If you're local, we highly recommend checking out this fun new artistic addition to our community!

Rose Stud Earrings

Larkin is stocking up on these silver rose stud earrings. These are all shaped entirely freehand and no two are exactly alike, but all are perfectly lovely! This gleaming handful of shiny pretties will be featured at the Dancing Beads trunk show on the 30th!

Galactic Sodalite

Larkin's latest piece is this brilliant blue sodalite framed with a combination of wrapping and fusing in argentium silver. I said the stone in the wrap looked positively galactic with timey-wimey space waves and swirls and now I think Larkin is looking for a new copy writer. 😅 I didn't even point out that the blue in the stone was, in fact, TARDIS blue...

Vining Applegate Jade

Another piece using one of my favorite applegate jades found by our family! This particular swirly green stone has veins of translucence, but is mostly opaque. The picture with a gravel background was taken in direct sun and best shows the colors and patterns in the stone.

Oh yeah, and it's not *all* about the stone. 😅 Larkin set the cab in gleaming silver that has been shaped, fused, and wrapped into its final form. It's like an explosion of new growth! Measuring in at 6.6 cm long and 6 cm at its widest point, this is a gorgeous, bold statement piece.

Applegate Jade Tree

We’ve been calling this stone “half-cooked” applegate jade— it’s a beautiful green base with orange-yellow speckles, and is translucent at the thin edges of the cabochon.

Larkin has been frustrated with how messy the back of a tree of life usually is since each branch needs to be individually tied off on the back of the piece. For this piece, Larkin soldered each of the 72 wire ends of the copper tree to the inside of the frame, allowing a more decorative back than usual. This took a Very Long Time and may or may not ever happen again.

The twisted rope and tire swing are constructed from argentium silver— and the swing actually swings from the branch!

Lavender Quartz Jellyfish

Larkin cut this uniquely shaped cabochon from a rose quartz stone with more flashy blue in it than most, which the folks at our local rock shop affectionately dubbed “lavender” quartz. The frame and curling tendrils are constructed with a combination of wrapping and fusing, resulting in a piece that is amazingly sturdy while capturing the dainty, ethereal spirit of a jellyfish! Even the back features whimsical underwater bubbles!

Those spiraling tendrils were a labor of love! Larkin flattened 14 gauge wire slightly with the rolling mill, softened them with the torch and rounded the ends, shaped the curls, trimmed them with the jeweler's cab, filed the ends to fit the edge of the wrap exactly, then fused them to the frame while keeping all fingers and toes crossed that none of the metal was going to slump. Just in case you were wondering.

New Dragon Eyes

Larkin has been restocking dragon eyes! These are always most popular at in-person events and I can't help but think that's because it's so hard to capture their detail and personality in photos.

Autumn Leaves

Autumn leaves! Larkin has a hard time keeping these in stock and is offering these first over on Facebook with a special discount. Clockwise from the top left: red jasper, applegate jade, blue-green coastal chert, and yellow agatized jasper.

First Tuesday

It's first Tuesday! Bundle up and come see Idle Talons at the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market at the Ashland Armory by Scienceworks until 1:30!