Bargain Bead Box Subscription Review – September 2016

Bargain Bead Box is a monthly subscription promising over $40 worth of quality jewelry-making supplies every month.

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Subscription Box: Bargain Bead Box

The Cost: $15.95 a month

The Products: Designer quality beads in materials ranging from crystal to glass to semiprecious gemstones, plus metal beads and findings. Bargain Bead Box does not send any plastic beads or seed beads.

Ships to: US (free), Canada for $7.50

Check out all of our Bargain Bead Box reviews the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great beading, craft supply, and DIY project boxes!

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There was a letter in the box with some more information on this month's theme "Copper Forest."  The back contained a list of the month’s beads. This could not have come at a better time – I just went nuts buying antique copper finish chain and findings. I didn’t have to purchase a single extra item to get to work!

The beads were sorted into groups in these little paper envelopes. Of course I immediately mixed everything together for one of the photos above. But, I am pretty good at identifying items like these so no worries!

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!

3 Sets 37 mm Leaf Toggle Clasps

I like decorative toggle clasps. These will be in front of whatever I make with them. They need to be shown off!

14 inches 6 mm Green Glass Bicone Beads

I used these in the necklace and earrings shown below.

45 mm Autumn Tree Pendant

There are usually a couple of large centerpieces in Bargain Bead Box. This was one of the centerpieces for the month. The finish matches a lot of the other beads so there are many possibilities here.

2 Pieces 28 mm Champagne Cut Glass Crystal Teardrops

I don’t know if you can see it, but the tip of one of these is broken off. I contacted Bargain Bead Box about this late one night and they replied within the hour and are sending a replacement.

Temporarily Strung Mahogany Obsidian Gemstone Beads (7 inches)

I actually think I would use these with something brighter than antique copper. Maybe gold? Not sure. But semiprecious stones are always appreciated.

9 Pieces 13 x 7 mm Pine Cone Drops

There were lots of little charms this month. These pine cones are cute. I think I have some bigger pine cone charms in my stash in a matching finish so I will use them all together in one piece, I think!

15” Strand 5 mm Coconut Shell Heishe Beads

It’s great to have a natural material to go with the forest theme. I had an idea for these but my first attempt to implement it didn’t work so I have to go back to the drawing board. That happens sometimes.

18 Pieces 10 mm Faceted Dragon Veins Agate Beads (H/D)

These are really pretty. This is a new stone to me; I will have to look around to see if I can get it in more shapes.

72 mm Articulated Owl Pendant with Rhinestones

This is the other big centerpiece for the month. I have had this thing for owls lately so of course I was happy to see this. I recently bought a bunch of little owl charms and think I want to see if I can use them in a necklace with this.

115 Pieces 4 mm Chinese Crystal Bicone Beads in Green Jade Color

These are a good basic shape that could work in a lot of different styles of jewelry. These would look good with either antique copper or gold accents, I think.

15.5 Inches 8 mm Round Glass Beads in Rainbow Green Iris

I rarely see interesting finishes like this on a round glass bead. I used some of these to make a bracelet (see below).

96 Pieces 6 x 4 mm Chinese Crystal Rondelle Beads with Metallic Copper Finish

I’ve been wanting to buy a bunch of beads in this shape lately. Something about it appeals to me. Thankfully the subscription box spirits have been kind and I’ve received them in several different bead boxes the past month or two!

10 Pieces 17 mm Leaf Drops

I used these in a necklace (see below). I’m kind of glad there were only 10 because my necklace turned out a bit heavy and if I had had more of these, I probably would’ve kept going…

2 Pieces 24.4 mm Floral Embossed Pendant

I love these. I have some niobium earring hooks that they will go great with.

24 Pieces 9 mm Bead Cap

Bead caps can transform pretty much any round bead into something fancier. I just have to carefully plan using them so I don’t run out too soon!

2 Pieces 40 x 28 mm Filigree Flower Link Component

I love these. Not sure what I will do with them yet, but I am confident the right project will come along.

30 Pieces 8.5 x 6 mm Leaf Beads

I used some of these in a necklace and earrings (see below). I like that we got several different forms of leaves in this box so I could mix and match to create something more visually interesting.

6 Pieces 20 x 16 mm Dragonfly Charm

These are cute. I am amassing quite the collection of charms and I can’t wait to use them. (I always collected charms but now that I am doing more work with chain and such, I have more ideas of what to do with the charms!)

Here’s a bracelet I made with some of the glass rounds and some antique copper spacers I had in my stash.

I made this necklace using a few beads from my stash and some of the metal leaf beads, leaf charms,  and green bicones. This was heavier than I expected it to be (but now wonder, there’s a lot of metal there).

I had a few beads left over from making the necklace so I made a pair of earrings.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for Bargain Bead Box, as explained above. The letter that came with the package says the retail value is $52, which is more than three times the cost of the box. You are paying a little less than $1 per item, which is a great value as far as I’m concerned. The theme of this box definitely appealed to me as it coordinates well with a lot of my recent bead and jewelry supply purchases, too!

Please note that no directions are given and you have to supply your own needles, stringing materials, tools, etc.

What did you think of the September 2016 Bargain Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?