Larkin made a variation of this silver ivy ring and it's amazing how a slight adjustment in materials and treatment can change the whole feel of a design! The original (right) is all silver and oxidized with the leaves polished back to bright. The new ring (left) has copper leaves for contrast and all the metal is polished bright. I don't know which I like more!
Applegate Jade Planet
musings, process, productCommentGet ready for something out of this world! ;)
You may remember this doublet that Larkin cut a couple of months ago-- really gemmy applegate jade (bowenite) is super dark, so Larkin sliced it very thin and backed it with a thicker slab of clear/white quartz to really make the green shine. Check out that picture of the stone back-lit!
Larkin laid out the planet’s silver ring so it would follow the naturally occuring line in the stone where it transitions from the lighter, sandier green at the bottom to the deep green at the top. Which brings us to that moon! Larkin shaped the hemisphere of silver and modeled the craters and markings from pictures of Earth’s moon!
Larkin loves the way the quartz back looks so didn't want to obscure too much of it-- silver ivy leaves climb a smaller crescent moon, complementing the feel of the front of the stone. A truly interstellar beauty!
Silver Ivy Ring
musings, process, productCommentLarkin has completed bazaar custom orders and is back to the fun of design work! Larkin embellished this solid argentium silver comfort band ring with an intricately hand-sculpted vine of ivy leaves. The leaves do not extend all the way around the ring so the band is smooth and comfortable between the fingers. Silver is oxidized dark and then Larkin hand-polished the leaves back to bright. The oxidation will wear off over time in areas that are against the skin, but should stay dark behind the leaves, giving them extra dimensionality.
This comfort band is 4mm wide. Hand model is Larkin's dad, Emile. :)
Silver Mushroom Stud Earrings
fun, musings, product, processCommentIt was only a matter of time...
Here at Idle Talons, we like to think we've carefully cultivated an audience full of friendly people who find it desirable to appear as if they have fungus growing out of their head. Amiright?
Larkin is busy wrapping up bazaar business this week, but had to to take a break to create these awesome little silver mushroom cluster stud earrings. They are so sweet, and sure to be a conversation starter at all the wild mycologist parties.
Rosy Garden Gate
musings, process, product, venuesLarkin managed to clean up yesterday's... well, learning experience 😅... and finish up this piece! This stone is an opalized petrified wood found by our family in southern Oregon. Larkin loved the way the surface retained the wood texture and grain so they left it rough and polished the sides and back to expose the creamy common opal interior.
The vining wild roses are modeled after the roses that grow in our woods and are hand-shaped from copper with silver centers. The copper mushrooms and roses are untreated and can be kept polished bright or left to develop a natural patina over time.
The silver knob is inserted through a hole drilled in the cab and fastened securely on the back so no adhesives were needed. The silver frame and window on the back completes the look of a magical portal!
If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out this and all the other goodies at https://www.royaboyahandmadebazaar.com/ !
Catastrophe!
musings, process, product, venuesCommentAaaaagh! Larkin had this frame at the final stage before tying the stone in when this happened. A polishing wheel got tangled in wire and wonked it all up! All the silver had already been hardened into final positions, so it will all have to be re-annealed and shaped. After initial tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth, Larkin thinks they can get it fixed and posted over at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar soon.
Thankfully, no fingers were harmed in this learning experience.
Royaboya Spring Soiree
musings, process, product, venuesCommentShopping has officially begun at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar! Shopping is all happening off of Facebook this time around, so it's super easy. Just visit https://www.royaboyahandmadebazaar.com/
Here's a reminder of a few things Larkin has exclusively available there... and there are lots of amazing products from other small, handmade businesses, too! I found a pretty amazing ceramic mug with tentacles that I couldn't pass up ;)
Wild Rose Stud Earrings
musings, process, product, venuesCommentWe have a lot of wild roses on our forest floor, and Larkin has paid them wonderful homage with these stud earrings!
The petals of these blooms are hand-cut from sheet copper then shaped, rounded and textured to petal-goodness perfection. The center and post are formed from argentium silver then soldered into place.
Each bloom is about 8 mm in diameter. The copper is untreated and can be kept polished bright or left to develop a natural patina over time.
What's that you say? These would make a lovely addition to a pendant design? Stay tuned, friends... stay tuned. ;)
These and many other new designs will be making their debut this week at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar!
Sword Ring
musings, product, venuesCommentIt's a sword... it's a ring... it's a sword ring!
These hand-shaped sword rings have a ton of detail, from the tip of the blade to the lab-grown garnet set in the pommel. Larkin even textured the metal of the grip to appear as if it is wrapped in traditional leather. Perfect for D&D players, SCA members, LARPers, cosplayers, aspiring knights, and other assorted fans of fantasy! ;)
The sword blade is 4mm wide and the ring's widest point where the blade tip meets the guard is about 1.6 cm. These will be custom made to size and available later this week at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar!
Casting An Ingot
fun, process, musingsCommentSound off, it won’t improve your experience at all. ;)
This video is Larkin casting a cylindrical silver ingot. They keep every little bit of silver trim and scrap wire, then melt it down to use again. Right now, Larkin mostly turns the ingots into sheet metal or larger gauges of shaped bands for things like rings-- both a big investment if you buy them pre-made.
It's pretty darn neat watching the silver turn red then melt!
Cat Shenanigans
musings, process, productCommentLarkin made a little modification to these cat earrings. Apparently they sometimes shifted and hung from their rear end... which, you know, is kind of appropriate for cats, but maybe not in jewelry form. 😅
A small ring soldered to the tips of their ears keeps them in line. If you have a pair that sometimes flips, you can send it back and Larkin will add the ring and return it!
Spring Soiree
fun, process, venuesCommentToday is the last day to get early bird pricing for this upcoming virtual bazaar preview party.
Why might you want to attend the preview party? Many vendors (like Larkin!) make one-of-a-kind products that will be available here first! And, all profits from ticket sales support a great cause. Hope to see you there!
Möbius^2
musings, process, productCommentLarkin shipped off a couple of Möbius rings this week and we couldn't resist checking them out stacked!
Applegate Jade Lily Pad II
musings, process, product, venuesCommentAnother take on Larkin's epic lily pad pendant! This time, in addition to the lily flower, there's a dragonfly tracing swooping circles. And the back! The leaves are the perfect complement to the cattail.
The stone is a dark, gemmy applegate jade (bowenite) found by our family, and the backlit picture shows how it glows green with light behind it.
If you would like to adorn yourself with this miniature silver sculpture, it will be available later this month at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar! Preview tickets support a Ukrainian relief fund, and give you first crack at some of these one-of-a-kind treasures!
Copper Ivy Cuff Bracelet
process, product, venuesCommentRemember those tiny ivy leaves on the petrified wood gate wrap? Larkin biggered them! This copper cuff bracelet is 16 mm wide, with leaves slowly tapering in size from one end to the other. Some leaves hang over the edge just enough for visual interest, but not quite enough to stab a flexed wrist uncomfortably.
It has just enough flex to fit a wide range of wrist sizes-- we still need to experiment to see what the outer limits are! This is one of several pieces Larkin will have exclusively available at the upcoming Royaboya Handmade Bazaar!
Upcoming Event
venues, processCommentLarkin is excited to be participating in the upcoming Royaboya Handmade Bazaar!
There are some changes this time around that should make shopping a little easier. While there will still be lots of games, prizes, live videos and fun in the Facebook group, actual shopping will take place at http://www.royaboyahandmadebazaar.com.
And, for the first time ever, there will be a preview party! Proceeds from ticket sales to the preview party will support GlobalGiving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund and I know Larkin and some of the other vendors will be offering some one-of-a-kind specials that may not last long!
Petrified Wood Gate
musings, process, product, venuesCommentAs promised, here is Larkin's latest! If you were at the gem show on Saturday, you may have seen Larkin working on the wrap that is the base of this intricate frame.
Larkin cut this magical doorway from a piece of petrified wood found by our family near our home in southern Oregon-- it's amazing how much it still looks like... well, wood! Larkin hand-cut each of the ivy leaves from copper sheet and used a chisel to give them veins and dimensionality. Each leaf is attached to the larger vine with a tiny little stem, then also soldered to the frame for stability. Sometimes when fusing or soldering copper to silver, the silver liquifies and coats part of the copper. Larkin considered polishing the silver off the leaves, but decided they liked the two-tone effect.
Which brings us to that incredible little clump of mushrooms! Each fully 3-D mushroom is hand-shaped with solid copper caps. They are super solid and soldered to each other and the frame. The way they creep out from behind the frame looks so much like the way mushrooms behave in the wild! Both leaves and mushrooms are untreated copper, so they can be kept polished bright or left to develop a natural patina over time.
And how about that back?! A neat window and decoration that looks straight out of Tolkien!
Teaser And The Ivy Leaves
fun, process, productCommentThis is totally just a teaser post. Larkin finished this wrap after there was no natural light for good photos, but I am SO excited about it that I couldn't resist posting a sneak peek at what you'll be seeing in full glory tomorrow!
Wire Wrapping Demo
fun, product, venues, processCommentLocal folks! Larkin was invited to demonstrate wire wrapping this weekend-- come check out all the purty rocks and say hi! Most of Larkin's designs require a fair bit of torch work these days, but they spent some time prepping torch elements so everything is ready to tie together. It's always fun to get a sneak peek at works in progress!
Silver Möbius Ring
musings, process, productCommentLarkin has finalized their Möbius ring design! This solid silver ring takes the form of a Möbius strip— a shape having only one side and one boundary curve; the simplest non-orientable surface. Larkin shaped, fused, and polished this wearable mathematical figure so it is literally seamless. ;) The argentium silver band is a “comfort band” style, slightly rounded for a more comfortable fit.
These Möbius rings are 4mm wide and can be made to fit virtually any digit! Modeled here by Emile, Larkin's dad. :)
