Möbius Rings

When I was a wee bairn of probably 3-4, my dad brought me a loop of paper and asked me to color one side red and the other side blue. I noticed it was twisted and pointed this out to him before getting down to work, but he said he didn't mind. I started on the blue side and had almost completely colored the whole thing before I realized I had, yet again, fallen victim to a mathematical practical joke.

Larkin made Möbius rings! That's right: rings that, through the awesome powers of mathematics, have only one face and one edge. The one on the left is a thinner comfort band ring, and the one on the right is a slightly thicker, squarer wire where Larkin polished the twist at the edge. These are copper prototypes (the final product will be in silver) and our family is split on which we prefer-- what do you think?

Side note: Larkin's mathematician grandpa is angling for Klein bottle earrings to go with these. ;)

Local Quartz

A "scarf" style wrap in argentium silver around a neighbor's tumble polished stone. This is a fun way to hang smaller stones that might not be suitable for cabbing! And with this piece, Larkin's current commissions are complete! If you have a project you'd like done before the winter holidays, now would be a good time to get in touch! 😉

Local Commission

Another custom piece for a neighbor who found this stone on their property. The reds and greens really polished up beautifully! This is another frame for which Larkin used a hybrid of wrapping and torch work, which helps minimize the bulk of pure wrapping.

First Wholesale Order

<Phew> This little bin represents a ton of work! This is the first batch of Idle Talons stock purchased by a local art gallery-- we'll let you know when they open! If you or someone you know would like an Idle Talons display in your brick and mortar business, send us a message and Larkin will fill you in on wholesale pricing. Larkin has two commissions to finish up, then it's time for some well-earned creative free play.

First Tuesday!

It's first Tuesday! Come see Larkin and all the other vendors with the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market at the Ashland Armory today until 1:30.

River Stone Scroll

Larkin cut this cabochon from a small stone our family found in the Applegate— before we knew how to spot applegate jade! 😅 It’s a beautiful grey-green with white and black striations, but we're not entirely sure what its actual mineral composition is. Larkin wrapped the unique cab in swooping silver scrollwork. I'm still really loving the wire doodles on the backs of Larkin's recent work!

We know we've been quieter than usual, but it's not because Larkin has been slacking! A local gallery owner is planning an Idle Talons display, so Larkin has been working hard on filling their large wholesale order... plus, summer market season is still in full swing. Larkin is enjoying this seasonal production work, but is looking forward to having a little more time to play with some new designs and techniques!

Licensed!

Larkin is licensed to drive! Life as a young entrepreneur just got a little less complicated. 😁

Owl Be Darned

Another trip to the coast to get out of the wildfire smoke! Not a bad office view, eh?

Larkin is working on a design for a repeat customer at the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market who likes to get something special for his daughter every month. He was hoping for an owl next. What do you think, cute caricature on the left or essence-capturing line work on the right?

Silver Swirls Ring

Larkin just added this new ring design over at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar! These rings are formed from 2 lengths of argentium silver wire, shaped and fused together. Measures about 2cm tall from balled tip to balled tip.

Speaking Of Books...

Gah! This is the sweetest! This is the book Larkin showed in the live video this morning before it had been oxidized and polished! This is made entirely out of copper and brass sheet metal, plus silver solder. It is hollow, so quite lightweight.

The copper cover is textured to look like aged leather, and the brass name plates are polished bright. The texture of the pages was created by scoring brass sheet metal with a knife blade. And yes, that *is* a jaunty little bookmark.

It's tiny! Measures 3cm tall (including the bookmark), 2.3 cm wide, and 0.8 cm thick.

On Reading

I’m not sure this will work, but I believe you can watch Larkin’s video at this link whether you are on Facebook or not: https://www.facebook.com/100009820293574/videos/643221479990455

Larkin works on a tree of life while talking about being a late reader and how books have made Idle Talons possible.

Applegate Jade Wrap

Here's another applegate jade piece that shows just how versatile that stone is! It's almost black in the shade, deep green in bright light, and translucent green when back-lit! Larkin cut this cab from a stone our family found and wrapped it in swoops and swirls of oxidized copper. The finished piece measures 4.4 cm long and 3.2 cm at its widest point.

This piece will be available starting Friday at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar, and if you visit the group at 11am Friday Larkin will be speaking a bit about how books and the written language have influenced Idle Talons!

Moss Agate Dragon Tail

Inspired by a Facebook comment, Larkin created this dragon tail wrap! Larkin cut the distinctive moss agate cabochon from a slab gifted by a friend. The stone is partly transparent when back-lit, so Larkin kept the back simple to let the light shine through unhindered.

The inside of the frame and circlet holding it in place on back are argentium silver, and the spines and tail end are copper. Larkin hand-shaped the tail from sheet metal and fused it in place. The main join on the body of the wrap is also fused so the stone can sit flush against the wires. Measures 6.6 cm long and 4.2 cm at its widest point.

This piece will make its debut at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar this Friday! Tune in there for this and the story of how the evolution of Idle Talons would not have been possible without books!

Mermaid Tail Retrospective

Alternative title: Larkin Doesn't Like Doing The Same Thing Twice

This first photo is Larkin's proof of concept piece, the very first Idle Talons mermaid tail on blue aventurine made in April of 2019 (for those keeping track, this was when Larkin was 14).

Next came a silver tail on seraphinite, a very similar style as the first because Larkin was not yet ready to jump into new designs in spendier silver wire.

Then another blue aventurine piece, this time wrapped in silver with a different tail position.

Next came a copper tail on fossilized coral, again with similar design elements tweaked in new ways.

Finally the brecciated jasper tail Larkin finished yesterday.

Each piece has so many similar elements, yet is totally unique as Larkin made changes to suit the stone and cab shape. This makes me want to collect other styles for a side-by-side comparison! Maybe trees next...

Brecciated Jasper Mermaid

I have two favorite stones found by our family so far: this one, and a particular piece of applegate jade. Larkin cut this phenomenally striking brecciated jasper cab from a rock we found on the northern California coast. The copper mermaid tail setting combined with the stone is like a perfect marriage between water and fire! Larkin has really been enjoying making (very labor intensive) wire doodles to hold the stone in place on the back of the wrap, and this one formed from fused argentium silver turned out beautifully.

Rose Drops and Books

... and the sort-of-companion earrings to yesterday's pendants are up on the website for the first time, too! It's so fun seeing the different colors jump out in oxidized silver.

On a slightly different note: Larkin has a book-themed bazaar coming up and is looking for ideas! Are decorative sheet metal bookmarks a thing? Are there specific fandoms you think might translate well into Larkin's style? A product we haven't thought of that might particularly suit readers and/or authors? The fun thing about throwing lots of ideas at Larkin is seeing the results for the ones that stick! ;)

Rose Wreaths

These sweet vining rose pendants have been showcased only at special markets, and are finally available on the website! See these and all sorts of other goodies Larkin has been working on tomorrow at the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market! The Idle Talons booth will be set up from 8:30am-1:30pm at the Ashland Armory.

Background Noise

Some behind-the-scenes shots today. We went to our first (outdoor), small live music event since the pandemic and thoroughly enjoyed some stellar blues rock. Larkin, tools ever at hand, stocked up on tiny silver leaves while listening. Here at home, a freshly painted batch of dragon pendant boxes dries on the porch. The next in-person Idle Talons market is coming up-- next Tuesday in Ashland!

Chert Blues

We are visiting grandparents at the coast, and Larkin was inspired to finish a wrap on this cab cut from a beautiful blue-green chert we found here on a previous trip! Silver swoops and swirls mirror some of the darker lines in the stone. Bonus: it's always nice finding new photography backgrounds away from home. :)

Applegate Jade Vines

Larkin cut this asymmetric cabochon from one of our favorite applegate jade finds, then used a combination of wrapping and fusing to frame it in sweet silver vines. Pictured with the stone from which it was cut, plus one photo to show how gloriously gleamy it is in sunshine. Larkin's grandpa gets first right of refusal on this beauty, the lucky devil!