Idle Talons

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Stormy Weather

product, musings, processLarkin HamiltonComment

This piece is cut from a stone found by our family near our home in southern Oregon. Jasper and agate combine to paint a striking landscape in stone, which Larkin framed, cut and polished. Whether you see fields, forest or ocean, the copper wire wrap portends an oncoming storm. This cabochon was cut from a small stone (pictured) so there may never be another like it!

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Fantastic Beast

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Continuing the water theme-- this time inspired during a trip to the coast to visit grandparents! This is a blue aventurine cabochon Larkin shaped and polished, wrapped in a serpentine mermaid's tail. Blue aventurine is said to keep personal thoughts and communication healthy and vibrant.

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Brecciated Humboldt Chert

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This wrap is around a cabochon Larkin cut and polished from a chert stone our family found in Humboldt on the northern California coast. The veining in the stone was created when fractures in the matrix healed with agate. Wrapped in waves of copper wire which has been oxidized and polished. Pictured with the stone from which it was cut.

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Roses and Lace

product, processLarkin HamiltonComment

Another first! This is the first wrap sourced entirely from the ground up, so to speak. Our family found this opalized agate stone near our home in southern Oregon. The combination of translucent agate and opaque common opal (common because it lacks the flash that the precious gem is known for) gives a lacy effect that is complemented by the delicate wire roses. Larkin ground and polished the cabochon and wrapped it in copper. Pictured with the stone it was cut from as well as a remaining slab.

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Kelp Fronds On Plume Agate

product, musingsLarkin HamiltonComment

It is interesting how many stones seem to inspire water imagery! Larkin cut and polished this stone from a purchased slab of plume agate. The red dendrites of the moss agate surround a druzy pocket of glistening crystal. The stone evokes an underwater ocean scene, matched by the wire fronds of kelp climbing the frame.

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Finishing touches

process, musings, productLarkin HamiltonComment

Did you know how much of the detail and character of a tree of life appear at the very end of the shaping process? The first photo is before final pliers-work and the second is after all the crimping and kinking give the tree its final shape.

This dark green, almost black, stone is Applegate jade, a particular kind of serpentine found near our home in southern Oregon. This is another piece Larkin created from the slab up, so to speak.

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Tea Rose Quartz

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Another cabochon from the Idle Talons team! This one was shaped and polished by Emile (Larkin's dad) during the cabochon class. This rose quartz cabochon is embellished with exquisitely detailed wire roses— the perfect accompaniment for a stone said to restore trust and harmony in relationships and encourage unconditional love! Need we remind you that mother's day is coming up? Because this pendant definitely belongs around some mother's neck. ;)

Rose quartz is semi-translucent so the wires on the back of the piece show faintly through and were designed with this in mind. Wrapped in copper which has been oxidized and polished. 4.9 cm long, 3.5 cm at the widest point.

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A Milestone! (see what I did there?)

process, productLarkin HamiltonComment

Check it out! This is the very first Idle Talons piece that began as a raw chunk of rock! Larkin cut, shaped and polished the aventurine then wrapped the cabochon in copper wire. The copper has been oxidized and polished. Blue aventurine is said to keep personal thoughts and communication healthy and vibrant. We called this one "Ocean Currents."

Finished piece with the raw rock from which the cabochon was cut.

Finished piece with the raw rock from which the cabochon was cut.

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Dragon Eyes Backstory

process, productLarkin HamiltonComment

Dragon eyes start with a plain glass cabochon. Backgrounds are cut from nature magazines and pupils drawn on with a paint pen, then glued to the back of the cabochon. The back is painted black then coated in a waterproof glue. Choosing colors and beading the lid and spines gives each eye its final, distinctive look. Every dragon eye is unique, so if you see one you love, snap it up!

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Swoopy blossoms

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These graceful wire swoops remind us of honeysuckle blossoms! The vines are shaped from copper wire, oxidized and polished, and embellished with glass beads.

Spiky!

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We’re not going to lie to you; this pendant looks like something a Klingon warrior would give to their sweetie. Perfect for the strong fighter in your life, especially as zebra stone is said to boost physical endurance and increase energy! Copper wire is shaped, wrapped, oxidized and polished, with balled ends. 5.4 cm long, 3.5 cm at the widest point.

Anniversary Commission

productLarkin HamiltonComment

A sweet custom order for an anniversary! The customer had these small, hand-made glass beads with sentimental value and wanted them hung in a simple wire wrap as matching pendants. There’s even a stealth heart featured on back! There’s still time to place that special Valentine’s order... ;)