Steph,
A very nice ring - very sparkly!!
Just an FYI... you can soften your wire pretty easily by annealing it (requires a torch to heat the wire). If you don't want to deal with a torch, you can anneal sterling in a kiln. If you have a friend who does PMC, makes glass beads, or does pottery, they may be able to do it for you. If you decide to try, just do a google on "anneal sterling" for some sites with info...
Randi