but all I do outside of work is stay home, read, and play with pearls.
I like the jump rings as they are, but can also see your point about a gradual increase in size from the jump rings down through the bottom spirals; the mirror image shows great attention to detail.
Marianne is right - a rawhide mallet is a good choice for wire as it won't make the impressions that a metal hammer would. There are also nylon hammers. I would suggest getting a rubber mat to put underneath, but it isn't necessary. Usually, you can find squares of rubber sheet where the tools are sold at gem shows. I found a place in San Diego that manufactures thick rubber mats and I went there and bought a couple of really thick placemat sized remnants. Come to think of it, a nice thick vinyl placemat might work!
like an elementary school craft.
And what a sweet Easter present!
Her little pearls had a silvery blue cast to them, and were likely inexpensive freshwaters, but looked very nice nestled in their shiny sterling silver nest, and got me thinking about a couple of loose pearls I own, unset, and sitting in a little bag unloved ... so when I saw your nest it rang bells for me. Thanks for sharing!
