200 Facebook Likes Giveaway! *CLOSED*

Hello Everyone!

I'm thrilled to announce that we've hit 200 Likes on Facebook! I promised another giveaway when we hit that number and here it is! 

The Prize

The prize this round is a pair of my handmade "Sapphirus" earrings! These are truly 'statement' jewelry- they're long and glamorous and have tons of movement. As always, all the weaving here is done by hand including the hand-hammered custom earwires. I had a lot of fun making these! I rarely use blue in my designs but these are a departure from my 'usual' :)

You can enter by using the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway begins today, 3/4, and ends at 11:59pm on 3/18. I'll announce the winner here on the blog, over on the Malfait Luciu facebook page, and by email. The winner must respond to the email within 48 hours with their home address so I can mail out the prize; after 48 hours without a response, a new winner will be chosen at random.

I'm so excited to see who will win! Thanks so much to everyone who has supported me this far - you're the best! After this giveaway is over, I'll run the next giveaway when I reach 350 Facebook likes, so do feel free to share; I love running these and the more my page is shared, the sooner I'll be able to run another giveaway! :)

Thanks much, and Good luck! <3

Contest & Sweepstakes - Lucky Contests
As seen on Hypersweep.com! Win Free Stuff

Free Tutorial - Papillon Earrings

Hello everyone!

I think it's time for another in-depth tutorial - this time, my Papillon Earrings!

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Note: this tutorial is protected by an International Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike licence. This means that you are free to post this wherever you like as long as you give proper Attribution (that is, to me, Jet Kosanke, and my website, malfaitluciu.blogspot.com), it may not be used commercially (you're not allowed to make money off it, that is, sell this tutorial to other people for money), and you're free to make changes to it as long as you also share it under these same restrictions (that is, you still give Attribution to me, you don't sell it, and you allow it to be shared freely.) For more information, click the Creative Commons link at the end of the tutorial.By the way- NonCommercial doesn't mean you can't sell works you make using this tutorial. If you make a necklace, bracelet, or whatever using this tutorial, feel free to sell it- however, you may not mass-produce it, and the Attribution part still applies, that is, you still have to attribute the design to me.If you're unsure if what you want to do is allowed, just ask me! I'm really pretty laid back about things like this :) I'd rather share my knowledge and discoveries for free so others can learn than charge money for my tutorials. With all that said, on to the good stuff! :)

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Click on any image to view a larger version.

Materials (for 1 earring):

• Dead soft 20 gauge wire - 3 inches
• Dead soft 26 gauge wire - 50 inches
• 40ss Swarovski flat back rhinestones in Crystal Volcano color (3)
• 40ss rhinestone Montee settings (3)
• short scrap of 20 gauge wire (color doesn't matter, we'll be using it as a mandrel)

1. Cut a 3 inch length of 20 gauge wire.

2. Use your chain nose pliers to make a tiny little curl in one end of the wire. The tinier the better!

3. Flatten  the curl you made in the last step so that the wire end is touching the tail end and there's no gap (or very little gap) in the center of the little coil.

4. Use your flat nose pliers to grasp the curl, and then wind the wire around the little curl, turning as you go. Be patient and methodical here, don't rush it. Tiny movements and bends are best.

5. Stop coiling when the spiral is about the same diameter as the rhinestones (really you can coil to your heart's content and make the spiral as large or small as you want, I just like the way it looks when it's the same size as the rhinestones)

6. Bend the tail of the spiral straight up.

7. Make another bend, about a quarter of an inch above the bend in step 6.

8. Use your round nose pliers and make a loop with a tail sticking out to the side.

9. Wrap the tail around the straight part of the wire two or three times. Take your time here, keep a light touch with your pliers, and bend bit by bit.

10. Cut a 6 inch length of 26 gauge wire. Use your round nose pliers to make a loop, but leave the tail sticking out for a moment.

11. Slide the tail of your 26g wire into the loop in the spiral dangle.

12. Wrap the tail of the 26g wire around itself a couple of times to create a sturdy connection.

13. Set the spiral aside for now. Take your scrap of 20g wire and begin wrapping it with 18 inches of the 26g wire.

14. Slide the coil off the 20g scrap wire. Make three more coils- you want to make two coils 1 3/4 inches long, and two coils 1 inch long (uses about 12 inches of 26g wire).

15. Set the coils aside, and pick up the spiral dangle with the 26g wire attached. Slide a montee onto the thinner wire.

16. Slide on two more montees.

17. Make a wrapped loop at the top, and try to position it so that the montees are really nice and snug together.

18. Cut a 13 inch length of 26g wire. Slide it through the horizontal channel of the first montee. Slide it through to the middle of the wire. You want equal halves of wire, one coming out each side.

19. Slide on one of your short coils from earlier onto the wire we added in the last step. After you've strung the coil on, pass the core wire through the horizontal channel of the middle montee, and pull tight!

20.  Repeat on the other side, making sure you're using the shorter length of coils.

21. Add the top halves of the wings the same way.

22. We have to do something with the two pieces of wire sticking up, so I like to use the tails to wrap three or four times around the top of the top half of the wing, right next to the crystal. Then I trim the excess. Repeat on the other side.

23. Mostly done, all that's left is to use your fingers to shape the two segments of each wing into a pleasing arrangement.

Add an earwire and you're done!

Papillon Earrings Tutorial by Jet Kosanke is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial! If you use it to make something, please leave me a link in the comments; I would be thrilled to see it!

Don't forget, my Custom Ring Giveaway ends tomorrow! It's super easy to enter, just one comment is required :)

'Til Next Time!

Custom Ring Giveaway - Guess my New Hair Color! *CLOSED*

Hello everyone!

Every now and then I get an urge to dye my long black hair something... different. Trying out a new color is always fun, so I thought to myself, 'this could be a fun way to do another giveaway!'

Giveaway Grand Prize

One lucky winner will receive a handmade custom-sized ring with their choice of ONE of the cabochons in the picture below. What the ring will look like is a mystery- you choose one cab and I will make a special unique one of a kind ring just for you!

The Cabochons

These are all vintage glass

All you have to do is: 

• Leave a comment on this blog post with your name (first name and last initial is fine) guess of what color I dyed my hair AND enter your email address (so I can notify you if you win)

Leaving a comment with your color guess is REQUIRED for your entry to count. If you're having problems commenting on this post, email me at malfaitluciu@gmail.com with your name and email address, and be sure to include what color you think my hair is, and I'll add you to the contest manually. 

In the event that more than one person guesses my hair color correctly, I will take all those names and run them through random.org - the first name on the random list will be the winner. :) The winner will be announced on this blog and will notify the winner by email (so they can tell me which cabochon they want me to use in their ring.)

The giveaway starts today, July 7, and will end on July 16 at 11:59pm.

Also, I still plan to do another giveaway when I reach 200 Facebook Likes, just as I did in the 100 likes milestone giveaway. It's at 149 right now- only 51 likes left until my next giveaway. Feel free to share info about this giveaway; tell your family and friends and if they like my page, The 200 Likes Giveaway will be here in no time!  

Oh, and I promise to post a photo of my newly dyed hair at the end of the giveaway :) 

Also, the handful of people who know what color I'm dyeing my hair are ineligible. Sorry about that, handful of people. Anyway-

Enjoy, have fun, and good luck!

'Til Next Time!

As seen on Hypersweep.com!

100 Facebook Likes Jewelry Giveaway! *CLOSED*

I am thrilled to announce that, thanks to the efforts of my friends and followers of my jewelry page on Facebook, Malfait Luciu Jewelry, I have reached the all-important 100 'likes' milestone! As promised, since we've reached (over!) 100 'likes', I'm hosting a free giveaway for a custom jewelry piece. The prize this time is my 'Provençal' Earrings - the first result of my current fascination with white wire.

These 'Provençal' Earrings are carefully handcrafted in an intricate filigree design and feature large faceted opaque turquoise czech glass focal beads, and they hang from comfortable handmade hammered and filed non-tarnish silver earwires. They hang about 3 3/4" from the very top of the earwires. Here are a pair of photos to give a general idea of their overall size:

They were a joy to make and I hope they will be a joy to wear and own for one lucky winner!

The giveaway starts today, Wednesday, January 7th, 2015, and ends at 12:00 AM (EST) on January 15th, 2015. You can enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. There are two ways to enter, and it is possible to gain six entries - you get one entry for visiting the Malfait Luciu Jewelry Facebook page, and a whopping 5 entries for commenting in the Rafflecopter widget and answering a simple question: What is your opinion of matching earring/necklace sets? Love 'em? Never wear 'em? Let me know in the widget for an easy FIVE entries!

After the giveaway is over, the winner will be chosen at random from all the entries via the Rafflecopter widget I've implemented. The winner will be contacted by email from MalfaitLuciu (at) gmail (dot) com. The winner will also be announced on the Malfait Luciu Jewelry Facebook Page. In the event that the winner does not reply to the email within 48 hours (in order to give me the address to send the earrings to), another winner will be chosen from the remaining entries using random.org.

After leaving a blog post comment, be sure to click on the Rafflecopter widget where it says "Leave A Blog Post Comment". A button will pop up that says "I Commented!" - in order to make your comment count and to gain your 5 entries, you've gotta click that button :) (The same goes for visiting Malfait Luciu Jewelry on Facebook - after visiting, come back, click on "Visit Malfait Luciu Jewelry on Facebook" on the widget, and click the "I Visited" button!) To know for sure that your entries have been counted, look at the top of the widget - if it says 6/6 at the top right, it means you've done everything right and have earned your six entries! :D MAKE SURE YOUR COMMENT ACTUALLY POSTS BELOW IN THE COMMENTS SECTION - If you click 'I Commented!' without leaving a comment, it doesnt count. If you have any problems leaving a comment let me know by emailing me at MalfaitLuciu (at) gmail (dot) com - If anyone has trouble getting their comment to appear, email the comment to me and I'll add it manually to ensure your five entries get counted :)

EDIT: I have made a slight change to the giveaway - instead of leaving a comment on this blog post, I've instead integrated the option to comment for five entries into the giveaway directly into the Rafflecopter widget. REST ASSURED ALL, everyone who has entered and commented already, your entries remain valid and you don't have to do anything further. Some people were encountering problems with commenting on the blog post, so I've switched it to this easier alternative. :)

I wish everyone the very best of luck, and thank all of you, my dear friends and followers, for the wonderful support you've all shown me with regards to my work. I'm on cloud nine right now- you all inspire me to keep creating, keep trying new things, and I am so very grateful. :)

Thank you all, and I wish you all the best of luck! :) And don't forget- if you don't end up being the lucky winner, you can always stop by my little jewelry shop for a look around- who knows, you may find something that speaks to you, and I'd be thrilled for a little visit :)

Have fun!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Back to Wire, plus a Giveaway! *CLOSED*

Hello! It's been awhile, but I've been busy! It's been all about wirework for me lately, and I've been slowly building up an inventory of pieces in order to set up a table at a neighborhood sale in September. This is a big step for me, but I finally realized that I've got to put myself out there or I'll never sell anything, haha :D I've been thoroughly enjoying wirework, it feels so 'right' to me.

I've been lucky to have quite a bit of support from friends and family on my personal Facebook page, but I've decided I should probably start posting my work on my jewelry page on Facebook (that's what I made it for, after all!). I am approaching a small milestone on my FB page- I'm close to 100 followers. So, to reach that milestone, I've decided to host a giveaway!

My most recent work, this pair of Five-Point Copper Flower Earrings, could be yours! All you have to do to enter is like MalfaitLuciu Jewelry on Facebook and enter through the Rafflecopter widget below for 5 entries into the giveaway. After that, you can earn one more entry by commenting and telling me what your favorite type of jewelry to wear is, whether it be earrings, rings, necklaces, whatever! The giveaway starts today and ends Friday, September 5 at 12:00am.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

My plan is to host yet another giveaway when I hit the 100 likes milestone on Facebook, so be sure to share and check back often! Thanks everyone for all your support, and good luck! :)