Vintage Bead Box Subscription Review + Coupon – August 2017

Vintage Bead Box is a monthly subscription box providing you with beads and findings manufactured between about 1930 and 1970. Choose from a themed box (limited numbers available) or a surprise mix.

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 Surprise Mix subscription ($25 a month). 

The Subscription Box: Vintage Bead Box

The Cost: $25 a month. Save with 3 and 6-month subscriptions.

The Products: Beads and findings made from a variety of materials (glass, wood, semi-precious stones, metal, acrylic, etc.). Most were manufactured between 1930 and 1970.

Ships to: US (free), Worldwide (additional shipping charges will apply)

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

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

There isn’t a traditional information card with this box because owing to the nature of the contents, every “Surprise Mix” box could be a little different.

A note on prices: Because these beads are vintage, they can’t be purchased separately from any sources. Further, materials, country of manufacture, and more can be a little difficult to determine precisely. Thus, I have opted not to provide prices in this review.

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

Acrylic Beads

These are fun and so bright. I don’t have much yellow in my wardrobe so I am probably going to pair these with some green (maybe the glass beads below) so that they’ll match a couple of things in my closet.

Bone Beads

There were a couple of interesting natural materials this month. (Bone beads usually come from animals used for meat these days, FYI.) I am actually thinking of using these in conjunction with the coconut beads and maybe the citrine with some nice antiqued brass accents.

Button Clasp

I love this clasp. I haven’t used it yet because I wanted to go with silver tones for my necklace, but this is going to go really well with a whole lot of other beads and findings and stampings in my collection.

Citrine Beads

I don’t have much citrine in my collection although I am trying to expand my stash of semi-precious stones. I love the warm tones and I’ve recently seen some great tutorials on using chips that I’m excited to try out.

Coconut Beads

These should probably be called “coconut shell beads” instead. These are lightweight and they’re a fun color that I think will go nicely with the bone beads.

Faux Pearl

You’ll receive a lot of faux pearls in Vintage Bead Box and they are so fun. You’ll get all kinds of shapes and colors that you just don’t see new these days. I have a few ideas for these already.

Glass Beads

These are pretty cool. This is another style of bead you rarely see anymore. I am thinking about using them with the yellow acrylic beads above, or possibly just in a simple necklace on their own.

Lucite Beads

These are unique and I knew I had to do something with them when I saw them. I used them in a necklace (see below).

Seed Beads

These are hex-cut seed beads in a color that goes very well with the lucite beads. I used most of them in my necklace this month.

Here is a necklace I made using the seed beads and the lucite beads. It is rare that I have an idea for a necklace that actually comes out exactly looking like I expected it to. I’m really happy with this one.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for Vintage Bead Box, as explained above, but if you divide the total cost by the number of items, you are paying about $2.78 an item. This seems quite reasonable to me. If you browse Etsy, you can find similar groupings of vintage beads and findings for prices ranging from $2-$7 (and beyond). Because I opted for the surprise mix, it does seem a little random (don’t forget you can also choose a themed box), but due to the fact that I have a massive bead stash, I can almost always find exactly the right components to go with the beads in the box. 

For what it’s worth, everything arrives clean. I suspect at least some of it is from deconstructed vintage jewelry (but honestly, that is OK by me – I get fun beads and things stay out of the landfill). It is all clean and, so far, manufactured pretty well. Plus, a lot of the items are unusual and you’d have a hard time finding equivalents made from modern materials.

What did you think of the August 2017 Vintage Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?