BeadCrate Subscription Box Review – July 2017

BeadCrate is a monthly subscription box for beading enthusiasts. Choose from “The Enthusiast” for $15.99 a month or “The Collector” for $35 a month. You can also buy a single box to see if this subscription is for you.

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

This review is of The Enthusiast, $15.99 a month, box. 

The Subscription Box: BeadCrate

The Cost: “The Enthusiast” for $15.99 a month or "The Collector" for $35 a month. Save with longer subscriptions.

The Products: A selection of beads curated around a monthly theme (or beads that are just cool and random)

Ships to: U.S. (free for “The Collector” and $5 for “The Enthusiast”)

Check out all my BeadCrate reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory for more great beading, craft supply, and DIY project boxes.

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

This letter/information sheet accompanied the shipment. The theme this month was “Bird Brains.”

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!

4 mm Lavender Garden Mix Druks (Czech glass, 100)

We got a different color mix of these druks in a past month and I loved them, so I was happy to see more. This month had a lot of bright colors, which I found to be fun.

6 mm Smoky Topaz Firepolished Faceted Rounds (Czech glass, 25)

This is not a color I would usually go for, but for some reason, it really appealed to me this month. I don’t see a ton of 6 mm firepolished glass in bead subscriptions, so maybe that is the reason.

8 mm Medium Sapphire Rounds (Czech glass, 25)

Another great bright color. I have a lot of cobalt colored glass beads but not a lot of sapphire, so it is nice to see a little variation. I used a lot of these in my bracelet.

12 x 9 mm Opaque Light Beige Picasso Rice Beads (3)

I am guessing these were meant to be eggs to go with the bird theme. I haven’t used them yet but I have some plans for them. I spent the earlier part of the year buying a TON of beads with the Picasso finish, and these will fit with those quite nicely.

6 x 10 mm Pink Twisted Barrels (Czech glass, 25)

This is a shape I haven’t seen often in subscription boxes. I must’ve really loved it at one time, like 15 or 20 years ago, because I have a ton of similar beads in my stash. I used most of these in a bracelet (see below).

15 x 17 mm Quest Antique Silver Bird (USA pewter, 1)

This would have worked well in a charm bracelet, but I ended up using it on the end of some memory wire, which you will see below. Good charms can be expensive so I am always happy to see them (you can get bulk charms on Ali Express but they don’t look so great after a few years).

12 x 17 mm TierraCast Antique Silver Fat Bird (USA pewter, 1)

TierraCast makes some nice findings (they’re especially good for stylish hypoallergenic earring findings, but they also make lots of pretty charms). I rarely splurge unless I find them on sale (which happens from time to time). I used this on the other end of some memory wire, opposite the other bird charm.

4 mm Siam Ruby Rondelles (Czech glass, 100)

Red is my favorite color and I really don’t have any other beads like these. I used quite a few, but I still have some left to play with.

3 mm Amber Druks (Czech glass, 50)

I love the variety of colors this month, and I also rather like the return to pretty basic shapes (rounds, rondelles, etc.). I feel like the basic shapes make the colors stand out more without having too much going on. I used quite a few of these.

Toho 11/0 Transparent Peridot Seed Beads (16 g, Japanese glass)

You’ll typically get size 11/0 or size 8/0 seed beads with this subscription. Sometimes I use them in my project (I did this month) and sometimes I add them to my stash (I really like seed beads and have a massive collection of them).

3 mm Firepolished Matte Crystal Faceted Rounds (Czech glass, 50)

These slipped under something else and I forgot I had them, so they didn’t make it into my bracelet. But they are the kind of bead that could be used in a lot of different projects so I’m sure they won’t stay around for long.

Shiny Bracelet Memory Wire (2 ¼”, 5 loops)

I decided to go ahead and use this, this month. If you are going to use memory wire, I suggest getting memory wire cutters and memory wire looping pliers. Memory wire is hard steel and is very difficult to bend with regular pliers. It also may damage regular flush or side cutters. But with the right tools, there are a lot of great design possibilities.

This bracelet turned out kind of heavy. It is a little bolder and chunkier than I usually go for, but the bright colors make me happy. I have a lot of shirts and dresses that are plain, solid colors, too, and so this will match quite a few things in my wardrobe.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for BeadCrate, as explained above in my note about prices. If you divide the cost of the box plus shipping by the number of items, you get about $1.75 per item, which I think is reasonable (especially for a lot of Czech pressed glass shapes). I used more of the beads and supplies than usual this month, too!

The information booklet lists the total retail value at $30.55 and I think that is probably not too far off.

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 July 2017 BeadCrate? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?