Join Sara as she visits our friends at  TierraCast and takes a tour of their facility. TierraCast is an online bead store that sells to wholesale buyers. As a retail customer, you can find their products in local bead stores and online bead shops. They carry findings, tools, charms, beads, leather, and much more. If you are not familiar with TierraCast, you can view their extensive online  product catalog.

This  video is a fantastic look into the day to day operation at a jewelry manufacturer. Sara meets the creative people that design and manufacture the jewelry we love. The company is closed to the public, so it is a real treat to see how everything works. She meets and interviews the staff and faces behind the sparkly stuff. This was a live  Facebook broadcast and as we have learned with Facebook broadcasts, anything that can go wrong will – so, at one point, the volume will cut out. Fast forward a bit and the volume does return. Just know that it is only a small part of the episode.

TierraCast was founded in October, 1978. Steve Tierra and a partner formed the company and named it West Earth Design. The company started in Steve’s home. The company expanded and moved to an actual facility. Unfortunately, the initial partnership dissolved and Steve renamed his business. While he was trying to rebound, a client named Alan Joseph came into his store. Alan was quite taken with Steve’s business and offered to work for free so he could learn production techniques. Alan and Steve became good friends and decided to become business partners. There have been bumps, bruises, and milestones. TierraCast is thriving and still committed to maintaining high standards, artistic vision, and quality. Today, they still operate out of the very location they originated in, in Santa Rosa, California.

Soft Flex Company had a similar origin story. We feel a bit of a kinship with our neighbors to the north. Soft Flex Company started out of a small house in Petaluma, California. The company was founded by Mike Sherman and Scott Clark in the early 90’s. Mike and Scott knew they created a product far superior to the bead stringing options at the time.  Soft Flex beading wire is a marine quality stainless steel wire. It is kink resistant and is much more durable than monofilament fishing line or thread.

Last year, Sara decided to take the short drive up to TierraCast’s facility so she could visit and introduce the staff to our viewers and friends. This video is timely. We recently teamed up with TierraCast so we could offer a kit containing elements from their  Western Winds collection. We added some of our products and are offering the TierraCast Western Winds Kit as a limited issue set on our site. If you have purchased this kit, this video will be a fun insight into the fine people that created the beautiful products in the kit.

Sara was wrapping up the final stages of her book  Seed Bead Revolution during this video. Seed Bead Revolution was co-authored by  Kristen Fagan. Seed Bead Revolution features 32 unique projects. Most of the projects show two color ways. The projects shown are completed using a varied collection of seed beads. The projects in the book are easy enough for a beginner and complex enough for an intermediate beader. Advanced jewelry designers may not learn anything new, but the projects are unique and enjoyable enough that they may want to design them.

If you have purchased the TierraCast Western Winds Kit, Seed Bead Revolution is a great book to accompany it. All of the projects in Seed Bead Revolution are inspired by the desert. The designs have a beautiful color range and are not all Southwest themed, but the names of the projects and inspiration is derived from the desert – Red Rock Necklace, Palo Verde, Desert Sage, and more. Kristen and Sara were both living in Phoenix when the book was conceived and written. Sara has since moved to Northern California, but her heart is still in the desert.

Outside of projects, Seed Bead Revolution is a fantastic purchase for anybody looking for jewelry design tips. The book features detailed descriptions of  findings and tools. There are informative sections about how to use Soft Flex Wire – what diameter is good for what design. Seed Bead Revolution features bead stringing techniques. You can learn how to  crimp to finish a wire design. Learn how to make wire loops with Craft Wire and tools. There is a section on  Kumihimo boards and braiding techniques. Learn how to knot, weave, and  Macramé. Seed Bead Revolution is an incredibly comprehensive book full of great ideas and walkthroughs. Seed Bead Revolution celebrates its first year in publication this month.

Sara starts her video at the  TierraCast facility. She says she is going to look at new parts and pieces and products from them. She discusses her upcoming book. She says that this video will feature a bracelet design from the book and she will incorporate TierraCast charms into the bracelet design for the live show. She says that will be a great combination of Soft Flex beading wire and TierraCast.

Sara introduces Tracy from  TierraCast. Tracy is a designer. Tracy’s work is in the TierraCast catalog. Her work is in featured in advertisements and at trade shows. There are other designers on staff, but Tracy handles a good deal of the designing. Tracy has design ideas laid out on a table in her work room. Sara says the tour will take us to the parts of the company where these jewelry pieces are cast and created. Sara says we will meet the owners and founders during the tour.

Sara is excited to take the tour. The company is not open to the public, so this will be a special treat for her and the viewers. Sara meets the general manager, another Sarah. Sara continues the tour. She says that TierraCast is a wholesale only company; they manufacture their parts and pieces in the United States. Sara meets Julie. Julie is a sales representative. Julie has been employed with TierraCast for 36 years. She is the longest employed employee at the company. Sara says this means a lot about a company when there is such strong employee retention. Sara sees some other finished designs. 

Sara then moves into the product development areas. This area is the real heart of the company. Sara meets Alan Joseph, one of the founders of TierraCast. Alan has a great sense of humor. He is sitting at a polishing lathe. He says he has been sitting there for 38 years and that is the extent of the imagination that he has brought to the company. Unfortunately, our Facebook live feed hit a snag at this point and the sound cuts out. The sound does return shortly afterwards and the tour continues.

Make sure you watch the  video for a great bracelet idea and to get some insight into the people behind a jewelry operation.

Check out this video featuring another project from Seed Bead Revolution.

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