Silver Ivy Hair Clip

Larkin's latest sterling silver hair clip design looks straight from a secret garden wall!

Larkin hammered the sheet silver base, work-hardening the silver so the fit will remain snug over time. They rolled the pin through a mill, then hammered it for additional stability. The ivy leaves and vines are entirely hand-fabricated and each tip is soldered to minimize snags. Larkin oxidized the silver to accentuate the depth and texture of their metalwork.

This is a piece rugged enough for daily wear and beautiful enough for a night on the town! As with all of Larkin's clips made in this style, this piece would also be beautifully functional as a cloak, shawl, hat or scarf pin when paired with a loose-knit fabric.

Books!

Larkin created these sweet little tomes for a dear friend who recently got her ears pierced and is studying publishing at university. They were a surprise, and it was hard to wait until they arrived to share! Larkin liked how they turned out so much they've been added to the Idle Talons wares. :)

The books are hollow forms, shaped with copper covers and silver pages, bookmarks, and title plates. Larkin leather-textured the copper covers, and grooved the silver sides by hand to resemble paper pages. Each book hangs from a hole drilled through the bookmark.

The one with mushrooms was a happy accident-- Larkin burned a hole in the top pages and decided to fill it rather than scrap the whole book. It disappeared quickly at yesterday's market!

Copper Capped Mushrooms

We have fungus among us, folks! Larkin made a whole cluster of these little copper-capped cuties.

Larkin shapes the caps from sheet copper, and drills a hole through the center. They form the jump ring on top from sterling silver wire, then they pass it through the cap to become the stem. They shape the base of the stem so it is larger and rough textured, just like so many mushrooms in the wild.

Such sweet little forest denizens! These will be available at the upcoming first annual Spring Talent Craft Crawl, sponsored by the Talent Business Alliance. We're so excited our small hometown has such amazing opportunities for artists!

Moss Agate Ocean Scene

Larkin cut this moss agate cabochon leaving the top rough, showing the original surface of the stone.

It is reminiscent of breaking surf and is remarkably translucent with dominant soft sage and rose coloration.

Larkin secured the stone with a clingy starfish and a couple of tiny barnacles, all hand-fabricated from sterling silver.

The stem of kelp becomes roots on the back of the piece. Topped with a custom, hammered silver bail.

This piece is chock full of salty, oceany, fluid kelpie goodness!

Shooting Star

A sweet little table-top sculpture of shooting stars!

I thought it would be so cool to get photos out with their wild brethren, but the background is just too busy. Feel free to play a where's waldo version of "which one of these is not like the others" 😅

So I brought it indoors for photos, but I think this may be a job for a more traditional photography background.

Photography difficulties aside, Larkin pulled off a pretty amazing duplication! The leaves have the thick, almost waxy look of the originals, and the blossoms hang just right from their long, slender stems. Solid sterling silver.

Harbingers of Spring!

Anyone who has lived in the Pacific Northwest is familiar with these brilliant purple shooting stars that carpet the forest floor in early spring!

Larkin meticulously hand-crafted these metal blooms from solid sterling silver, each as unique as their wild counterpart. They have been oxidized and polished, and Larkin polished the bottom ring just below the petals by hand to mirror that brighter band of yellow on the flower.

Wild shooting stars hang straight down from their stem, and these metal blossoms mimic that habit from the wearer’s earlobe. The petals are more delicate than most of Larkin's work! These earrings are best worn with short hair, or long hair that has been tied back to avoid tangling and pulling.

No two flowers or pairs will match perfectly— that is part of their charm!

Bowling Pins

Larkin was off at a state bowling tournament this weekend! They did not do as well as they hoped, but (as always) had a fantastic time.

We had been calling this jasper "bowling ball" jasper because it had a certain '70s bowling alley chic. The perfect background for Larkin's bowling pin earrings!

Silver Kelp Hair Clip

Larkin's latest hair clip design is a doozy! A flowing stem of kelp streams across the face of the piece, and the pin features a cluster of barnacles near the loop.

This is a large piece and will work best on very thick hair-- don't get me wrong, it's totally wearable in finer hair, but it will probably slip a bit throughout the day and need to be repositioned or worn in conjunction with a hair tie.

It's a little loose as a ponytail holder in my hair (above), but worked really well as a sort of bun cover for my impromptu updo (below) that really put the "messy" in messy bun! 😅

As with all of this style of hair clips, they are also well-suited to be used as clothing pins-- they beautifully dress up a knit hat, scarf, shawl, or cloak!

Holy Barnacles, Batman!

Larkin sculpts each of these barnacles from sterling silver and painstakingly solders them to a hand-crafted disk and earring post.

Just like their natural counterparts, Larkin lets these barnacles have a say in exactly where they land! No pair will match perfectly or be identical to any other pair, and that is part of their charm.

Each stud is 1.0 cm in diameter on a 20 gauge earring post.

Moss Agate Porthole

🎵🎶 "I'd like to be
Under the sea
In an octopus's garden
With you" 🎶🎵

This round agate cabochon looks like a dreamy underwater scene, and Larkin crafted its silver frame to suit it perfectly! The bezel set porthole is circled by silver rivets, two clusters of tiny hand-fabricated barnacles, and a sweet sculpted sea star with two legs that wrap around to the back of the piece.

Once again, the back of Larkin's work is not to be out-done by the front! On the back, the tips of the sea star tentacles and the backs of the rivets surround a cluster of kelp waving in the current.

When backlit, the kelp blades show through the translucent agate window.

These pieces take a phenomenal amount of time! Every element is hand-made from sterling wire and sheet metal then attached individually-- and every step of the fabrication process and each attachment point is an opportunity for Larkin's torch to get just a little too close to the metal for slightly too long, causing everything to slump into an amorphous blob. These blobs are spectacularly morphous! 🤣

Agate Potion Bottle

This is why Larkin likes cutting their own cabs-- you can't find this shape ready-made!

Larkin shaped this charming potion bottle around a unique agate stone. The red and “sandy” looking areas are sparkling druzy pockets. The top of the stone is left rough to showcase that druzy and make it appear that the contents of the vial are roiling.

Some areas of the stone are quite translucent when backlit.

Larkin hand-shaped a fully three dimensional sterling cork atop the piece, with a hole drilled to attach the bail. The back features swirling spirals rising toward the surface.

A truly magical talisman!

Silver Ribbon Earrings

More production work! I woke up to discover that Larkin had laid out this river of silver ribbon earrings across my desk.

These are so classic and elegant... always a fan favorite at markets!

Vining Roses Galore

We're not sure what is in the air (except snow, which admittedly may be turning thoughts wistfully to blooms of spring) but these chokers/bracelets have been going fast lately!

Larkin stocked up and made a few long chains so it's quick to turn them in to custom lengths at markets.

Speaking of markets, the first Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market Tuesday market of the season is next week! They're back at the Ashland Armory this year, and I'm sure Larkin would love to see you on the inevitably chilly first day!

Silver Tree And Moon Hair Clip

Tired of the silver tree hair clips? How about one... with a moon! <3

And some more good hair clip news! Our cousin Elly came to visit last week and wear-tested one of Larkin's hair clips for a couple of days. She had given up on this style of hair clip years ago because they wouldn't stay put in her silky smooth straight hair. But, as I suspected would be the case, Larkin's stayed securely in place all day! I'm kicking myself for not getting a photo because it was super striking in her dark hair, too.

Cattail On Applegate Jade

Another piece in what we've been calling Larkin's terrarium series! This time they cut the cabochon freeform in the shape of a water droplet forming.

They included some of the rind of the "applegate jade" (bowenite) as well as the gemmy, translucent interior to echo the striations in a summer pond. This stone also includes a chatoyant seam across one corner.

Larkin framed the gleaming cattail with rough branches hand-hewn from sterling silver. The bail is a large, closed circle of silver, textured to match the branches. A beautiful, bucolic pond scene-- We even got a picture in the snow that's been going around!

Silver Tree Hair Clip

Another silver tree hair clip looking for a head to call home! This one is slightly smaller and might not contain all of your hair if it's especially thick (mine puts on a good show, but isn't actually very thick).

Larkin is going to make a collection of these, but they let the wire choose the frame and branch shape as they work so each one is unique.

Again, the frame is hammered, work-hardening the silver so the fit will remain snug over time. The pin has been rolled through a mill to achieve the same result.

Calling All Naiads!

Calling all Naiads! Larkin hand-fabricated this gorgeous two-piece hair decoration entirely from solid sterling silver. Don’t let the delicacy of the cat tail and dragonfly fool you— this is a sturdy piece of hardware that will stay put through a busy day!

Both pieces are slightly bent so the clasp lays flat against the head and is comfortable even when leaning back against a head-rest.

They are designed to be placed with the dragonfly facing the hair, then the dragonfly is twisted 180 degrees tightening the clasp and securing the decoration securely in the hair.

The frame is hammered, work-hardening the silver so the fit will remain snug over time. The pin has been rolled through a mill to achieve the same result.

Can you tell I'm excited about Larkin's new line? 😅 These really are *the best* combination of function and exquisite form! Just for funsies we combined it with a lily pad hair pin :)

Silver Lily Pad Hair Pin

Things have been a bit slow as the Idle Talons home studio has been hit by the plague (thankfully not the Big C) this week. Larkin has been working through it like a trooper, but their alpha minion (😅) has not been quite as graceful dealing with this first illness in several years. So a little catch-up this week.

Larkin hand-sculpted this lily pad and flower from 0.925 sterling silver, with a small copper ball at the center of the bloom.

This sweet little adornment is smaller than a bobby pin and meant to be added to a hair tie or style, more for decoration than function. Very versatile, it can also be worn with any knit, crocheted, or loose-woven garment as a clothing pin!

Artist Of The Month

Local folks! Larkin is Artist of the Month at Dancing Beads in Medford this month! The Idle Talons display is up and a great chance to see some of Larkin's new work in person before their regular market season begins in March. Carol of Dancing Beads has lots of new amazing gifts available, and of course an amazing variety of beads!

Hair Clip Prototype

This hair clip! It is hard enough it doesn't bend and slip, the stick twists to hold it firmly in place in all or some of my hair, and there are no finicky open ends that get tangled in my curls! This prototype is MINE, but Larkin will be making more soon. ;)