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Bargain Bead Box Subscription Review – August 2017

Ragan Buckley
ByRagan BuckleyAug 21, 2017 | 5 comments

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

Bargain Bead Box
5 overall rating
10 Ratings | 2 Reviews

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

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

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

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

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 semi-precious gemstones, plus metal beads and findings. Bargain Bead Box does not send any plastic beads or seed beads.

Ships to: U.S. (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!

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

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

There was a letter in the box with some more information on the theme (“Mad for Matte”). The back contained a list of the month’s beads.

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!

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

36 Pieces 7 mm Scalloped Bead Caps

You’ll always get some bead caps with this subscription.  I’ve gained quite the collection after a few months. What is great is that they always match the finish of the other metal items, so even if you don’t have a massive stash like I do, you’ll be able to complete several pieces using just what you get in the box. I really like this antique brass color.

3 Pieces 56 mm Feather Pendants

You’ll usually also get some rather large pendants with this subscription. I am thinking about using these in conjunction with some real feathers (I have a collection, of course) in a mixed-media piece.

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

50 Pieces 4 mm Faceted Oval Spacer Beads

These came in handy this month. The holes in the beads I used for dangles were too big for my headpins, so I put these on the headpins first, to keep all the beads in place. (See below.)

1 m 5 x 4 mm Steel Twist Chain in Antique Bronze

I’ve been wanting to get more chain in larger sizes as everything in my collection is rather delicate. So this made me happy. See some in use below.

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

32 Pieces 8 x 5 mm Chinese Crystal Rondelle in Satin Lemon Chiffon

This is a fairly neutral color. We received so many different Chinese crystal beads that I lose track of which ones made it into my necklace or not, but it was great to be able to pick and choose exactly the right sizes and shades from among the box contents.

30 Pieces 6 x 4 mm Chinese Crystal Rondelle in Ice Blue Satin

These had a nice blue/gray thing going on that worked well with the oranges/reds and peach/yellow tone beads. I would not have thought to include this color in the batch but it ended up coordinating nicely.

15 Pieces 5 x 3 mm Chinese Crystal Teardrop Beads in Dark Magma

These are pretty tiny and dainty. I think I will make them dangles in some earrings; they are a great size and weight for that.

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

2 Sets Toggle Clasps with Matching Charm

You’ll always get some clasps with this subscription and toggle clasps are pretty common here (sometimes you’ll get hook and eye instead). These are fun because of the little charms that come with them. See one in use below.

48 Pieces 6 x 5 mm Frosted Multi Iris Metallic Glass Rondelle Beads

These stand out a bit because they’re a different style from most of the faceted beads we received this month. I think I might seek out some similarly-colored beads with different finishes to use with these.

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

30 Pieces 6 mm Glass Window Beads in Slate Blue with Rainbow Iris

I love how the light hits the little windows/facets (it even showed up in the picture, some). I haven’t used these yet but they’re definitely going into a piece meant to catch the light, probably with lots of silvers and white or crystal with AB coating.

18 Pieces 21 mm Feather Charms

Aha, enough charms to actually make a charm bracelet! I am thinking of using these with some homemade headpins with wire coils and maybe a few beads for color. They’d go well with the chain you see up above.

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

32 Pieces 8 x 5 mm Chinese Crystal Rondelle in Satin Peach

32 Pieces 8 x 5 mm Chinese Crystal Rondelle in Satin Thunder

I’m going to talk about these together since they’re the same type of bead, just in different colors. I love the look of the facets in both of these and you can see that the hole size is also fairly generous, which opens up some additional design possibilities. (In general, Bargain Bead Box is great for sending Chinese crystal.  It’s not quite up to the same quality standards as Swarovski, but it can look nice and won’t break the bank.)

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

12 Pieces 8 mm Banded Chinese Crystal Bicones in Golden Shade

I love the combination of shiny and matte here. These might look good with the window beads from up above, due to how they catch the light.

20 Pieces 10 mm Chinese Crystal Round Beads in Magma AB

I used a lot of these in my necklace. I thought the non-traditional facet shapes (which showed up really well in the photo above) were a fun touch.

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

30 Pieces 6 x 4 mm Chinese Crystal Rondelle Beads in Dark Magma AB

Another great size and shape of Chinese crystal. I’m not often into plain stringing, but if I was, there are some wonderful possibilities this month using all the Chinese crystal.

15” Strand 8 mm Dragon Veins Agate Round Beads, Frosted

I used a bunch of these too. You don’t often get semiprecious stones with this subscription, but when you do, they always are a bit off the beaten path (and I mean that in a good way – I think these are fun and unique). I still have enough left over for earrings if I want to go that route, too.

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

Bargain Bead Box August 2017 DIY Crafting Subscription Box

There were so many great, large beads this month, they were just calling out for me to do a bib-style necklace. I got to use some of the chain and one of the clasps, too. This took a bit of trial and error to finish up but I think it turned out well!

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for Bargain Bead Box, as explained above. But, if I counted correctly, you’re paying less than $1 per item, and I think if you could find these exact beads on sale elsewhere, you’d pay a lot more than $1 each. As usual, the colors went together very well and I appreciate getting some findings and metal components with a matching finish.

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 August 2017 Bargain Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?

Starting at $19.49
Subscribe Now

Bargain Bead Box is a monthly subscription box for bead lovers and jewelry designers. Each shipment includes over $40 worth of glass, gemstone, crystal, and/or metal beads & findings for $17.95 per month, curated around a surprise theme.

Ragan Buckley
Ragan Buckley
Ragan stumbled across My Subscription Addiction in late 2013 and immediately subscribed to way too many beauty boxes. She's now focused on boxes for her cats and dog, vegan/vegetarian food boxes, and craft subscriptions (and she didn't give up beauty boxes entirely).

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5 comments

anDreama

I want this box! I love the beads colors and shapes this month!! Your necklace turned out really well–and the colors compliment perfectly. Now I’m all inspired to make some jewelry, but we’ll see how I feel after that 45 minute commute home…

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Ragan

You can buy a lot of the box items from their sister site,

bead box bargains dot com

But leave the spaces out, of course.

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Tammy

I love your jewelry designs and look forward to seeing your new creations each month. You have inspired me to try my hand at beading.

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h

Beautiful beads, especially those iris blue glass Rondelle beads. Your necklace is stunning! Wow!

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Beth

Ragan, WOW. What a BEAUTIFUL bib. I think this is my favorite out of all the pieces you’ve made.

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