You missed our latest bead sale. Don't miss it next time. Buying jewelry making supplies is not the fun part. Buying the shiny stuff is. Gemstones, beads, and lampwork are all on the table for this auction. We delve into Mike’s personal collection. Mike has traveled the world buying the finest beads and artisan glass. He is a lover of all things beaded and has a collection to die for. Part of his collection can be yours.

NOTE: This blog was published when there was still time to purchase. It has not been edited below. If you would like to participate in a Live Sale, use our new format - CommentSold.

If you did not catch the sale live on Facebook, you still have some time to buy some sparkly goodies. The sale ends on Sunday. This video is from Wednesday, so you may not get everything you bid on, but it never hurts to try. You can watch the video from the blog or on Facebook. If you are watching the video on Facebook, you will see the comments as the appeared during the live show. Remember the show is not live while you are watching it. If you comment on the video, you will not get a response in real time. We do watch the stream after the fact and will address any questions you have. If you need a quick answer, you can always email us.

If you would like to bid on items, you will need to view the sale on Facebook. Please follow the rules on how to bid for an item so we do not overlook your post. If something catches your eye, post that item number, the word ‘SOLD’ and the quantity you would like. For example: 23 SOLD 1. This will enable our customer service team to determine the bidders of the sale. We love comments and encourage everybody to be vocal during our live shows. When we do sales live, this format isolates bidders so we can find them.

We select the bid winners by chronological order. If you place an order, please do not edit your original post. Editing the post will bump your comment out of order. When it bumps there is no way we can retrace the comment to its original place in line. Basically, it will put you in last place for that item. 

One thing to note, Facebook can be a little confusing. Comments will have a time stamp. This time stamp is the point on the video when the comment was made. The time stamp does not reflect the actual time it was made - just the time of the show. For instance: if you bid on an item and your time stamp says 38:45 but you do not win the bid (even though it is the earliest time stamp), it is because somebody bid on it before you. But not earlier in the show than you. They may have watched the sale live and you may have watched the show after it aired. Confusing, huh? We do make sure it is fair and everybody gets the items in order of bids. 

A lot of love goes into our live sales. We hand select the jewelry that speaks to us. Sometimes we will offer tools and supplies that are on our website at a discounted rate. Sometimes we will offer seasonal goodies. Sometimes we offer inventory that we never intended to sell but no longer have the space for. The team in the gallery gathers the items and labels them for the show. We number each item and the quantity. Sara then films the sale and explains what each item is and why it is special. After the sale ends, we collect the names from Facebook. We collect the names in the order they were originally posted. We want to ensure the first bidder gets the goodies. We then, lovingly, put the packages together. It is a lot of work but it is also a lot of fun.

The items you see on this sale are not available on Soft Flex Company’s website. They are a part of founder Mike Sherman’s private collection. Mike Sherman is an avid bead collector and jewelry designer. He has traveled extensively, acquiring new beaded treasures. One of his dreams was to open a bead store. Mike has visited trade shows all across the world. He has networked with exhibitors and buyers. Mike found some of the richest and loveliest stones out there. He designed beautiful necklaces and jewelry from his collection. His jewelry has a unique voice. You can immediately tell if Mike designed a necklace or if he told somebody how to go about stringing it. He has a keen eye for color and is not afraid to create jewelry that is not traditional. 

Mike’s journey was interrupted. A spinal injury put a halt to the globe-trotting. Mike’s injury was severe and life changing. His new focus is now on getting healthy. He loves beads and jewelry and has an avid appreciation, but his injury does not allow him to get around like he used to. He does not have the mobility in his hands that would allow him to string jewelry anymore. Mike is still the same person he was before the accident, but he does have limitations now. 

Mike is parting with selected parts of his collection because he loves beads. He cannot design jewelry like he used to. But, he can share those wonderful stones and gifts he searched so hard for. Mike wants to make sure they end up in hands that will appreciate and love them. If you are buying an item from this auction, you are buying an item Mike hand selected and loved.

If you happen to be in Northern California come visit our gallery. Our gallery is open every Wednesday from 10:00am to 3:00pm. We are located in Sonoma. Our gallery information can be found on our site. If you come to our gallery, you will meet the Soft Flex family you see on our videos. You might even meet Mike. Mike likes to make a trip to the gallery on Wednesdays and meet our customers. Mike loves to talk beads. He loves to show his collection to anybody that loves jewelry. He would love to meet you.

Check out this video, we discuss crimps, crimping, and crimp covers. 

Visit the Soft Flex Company YouTube Channel!

Blog contributor Thomas Soles is the Trade Show Coordinator for Soft Flex Company. His favorite stones are Lapis and Pietersite. His favorite hobby is day dreaming. And his favorite mustache is Tom Selleck's. As you can see, he has a healthy (or possibly unhealthy) sense of humor. You can write to him at Thomas@SoftFlexCompany.com