Dollar Bead Box is a monthly delivery of beads and beading products. During a given month, reorder your favorite items from the Dollar Bead Box shop for just $1. (This deal is only available to subscribers.)
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Dollar Bead Box
The Cost: $19.50 + $4.50 shipping for the Dollar Bead Box or $8 for the Dollar Bead Bag (4 strands of 3 mm Czech Fire Polish Beads and 4 strands of 4 mm Czech Fire Polish Beads in every bag); free shipping with 3- and 6-month subscriptions (plus get an additional discount on 6-month subscriptions)
The Products: Beads and beading-related items including but not limited to stringing materials, Swarovski crystals, vintage glass, freshwater pearls, buttons, and more
Ships to: US ($4.50 on a month-to-month subscription, free with longer subscriptions)
Check out all of our Dollar Bead Box reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
The box included a letter reminding us that subscribers can buy more of the box items for $1 online. The back of the letter included a list of items in the box.
A note on prices: Items like this can come from a variety of different suppliers at many price points depending on how many you buy, etc. I couldn’t find a lot of these exact beads from common sources (e.g., Fire Mountain Gems) and it’s of questionable value to pick something similar because a slight difference in grading or size or material and you are looking at half or double the price (or an even greater difference). Even different colors of the same size and shape of glass beads are priced differently due to materials needed to make the colors!
Chinese Crystal in Green Luster
These are nice basic beads to have on hand. I don’t have much green in my wardrobe right now but I will hopefully be shopping for new clothes in a few months and I do like to color coordinate jewelry with my outfits.
Chinese Crystal Opaque Red with Luster
Also nice basic beads. My wardrobe has quite a bit of red so there are a lot of possibilities here.
Chinese Crystal Amethyst White Luster
I am unsure whether I want to make a drop necklace with these or do more of a home décor project. They are a little larger than I would typically put in earrings, though they might look nice in dangly earrings with a single strand hanging down.
Gem Cut Rondel in Chili Pepper
I like these a lot. I think the shape is what works for me. Not sure how to use them yet but they are nice and summery and I’ll think of something one of these days.
3 mm Firepolish Light Amethyst
This is a good color for spring. I have collected some other pastel beads lately and I am starting to get some ideas for this one.
6 mm Fire Polish Pink Opal
This is a good, bold color. (I like bright colors! And I do wear a lot in this color family.)
2-Hole Lentil with California Coating
These are my favorite beads in the box. I actually ordered more of them. See what I did with them below. (I have this obsession with flat square and round beads; not sure why.)
Copper Plated Leaves (x2)
These seem like more of a fall thing to me. But it is good to plan ahead.
Large Olive Czech Glass Leaf with Rainbow Iris Coating (x5)
I like pressed glass shapes a lot, so I was happy to see these. I kind of want to make a necklace with a bunch of different leaf beads all together.
Antique Brass Floral Pendant
This is on the small side, which is good for me since I tend to wear more delicate/daintier jewelry most of the time.
Silver Plated Angel Charm (x2)
I’m not religious and am not really into angels and angel imagery, but there are several women in my extended family who are, so this can be used in a nice gift for one of them.
Silver Plated Toggle (x2)
These have already been used. I cannot keep enough toggle clasps around.
Large Tassels in Jet and Regal Gold
The gold reminds me of one of the Georgia Tech colors (that’s where I got my PhD). I’m not really into wearing tassels (despite how on-trend they apparently are, according to subscription boxes anyway), but they could be used in bookmarks or something along those lines.
Chinese Crystal Focal Bead in Jet
I really like this. It’s a good size for me. I might just put it on a chain and use as-is.
Silver Plated Spring Flower Hoop
This would look nice on a bit of silver chain on its own, or perhaps with a drop or some kind of crystal or pendant added in the center.
Here is a bracelet I made with the 2-hole lentil beads. If it looks like more beads than shown up above, it is. I ordered a bunch more from their site. I’m happy to report that the shipping was quick, although it cost $4.95 to ship so it was more like $2 per item in the store (since I ordered 5 items).
Here is the bracelet with the flash. It sparkles a little bit. (I saw a piece similar to this online and made something similar it with the lentil beads and some seed beads from my stash.)
Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the May 2016 Dollar Bead Box, for reasons explained above. However, I appreciated getting a lot of glass and crystal basics, the toggle clasps were needed, and I absolutely loved the lentils. The cost is about $1.30 per item (counting each baggie/strand as a separate item, and noting that I didn’t pay shipping because I signed up for a three-month subscription), plus there’s a bit of a discount on their site if you are looking to buy more of a particular item from your box, so I was happy with the value.
Please note that no directions are given and you have to supply your own needles, stringing materials, tools, and findings.
What did you think of the May 2016 Dollar Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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