Breaking in the mandrels

Now that I've gotten the unused printer and scanner relocated, I was able to set up all my mandrels on the newly-cleared shelf.

Mandrels are shaping tools, meant for hammering metal. And my Christmas gift to myself was a neck mandrel, with which I will be able to create collar necklaces.

And oh, I have discovered that this is FUN. :-) I put together my first collar today. The only thing is, I am going to have to track down some harder wire in order to really do this properly. Aluminum wire, which was the thickest kind that I had on hand, looks great but it's soft, and unlike other metals, hammering doesn't seem to harden it much.

But enough technical details. The important thing is, I have discovered a whole new kind of jewelry that I will enjoy making. So today has been what I'd call a Good Day.