Dollar Bead Box Subscription Box Review – December 2017

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 $1.00. (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.)

This review is of the full Dollar Bead Box, which is $19.50 a month. 

About Dollar Bead Box

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 US 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

Dollar Bead Box December 2017 Review

You’ll get a variety of different beads with this subscription, and though you can count on some strands and Czech glass nearly every month, half the fun here is seeing what other random things show up. Let’s see what we got this month:

You’ll always get a brief letter and an item list from Dollar Bead Box. The item list is useful if you are looking to reorder something but don’t know what to call it; use the name to search their shop!

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!

14 x 26 mm Preciosa Crystal Angel Pendant

I’m not much for angels and religious imagery, but every now and then a cross or Buddha head or something similar will pop up in this subscription. I do know people for whom this could be incorporated into a gift, though. Preciosa is a popular Czech glass brand.

4mm Czech Glass Druk in Jet (48)

I have been hoarding 4mm rounds lately for use in patterns, although I find these to be not quite as evenly shaped as some. But they will work well in more organic designs and black is a useful color.

8mm Czech Glass Curved Cube Bead in Caribbean Blue Opal (6)

I don’t have anything else in this shape or color. The color reminds me of swirled vintage glass, though, and I’m sure I’ve got some nice vintage beads in my collection these will coordinate really well with.

2 x 3 mm Czech Glass Gem-Cut Rondelle in Desert Tones (50)

These are super tiny but definitely useful. I don’t have as many rondelles as I would like, and I have been trying to collect them in different sizes. These are mostly brown, and I think they would look nice with some warm brass accents.

15mm Czech Glass Button Bead California Collection (2)

These beads are actually identical, but the different sides are different colors so I have shown you each side. These could either be used in some simple earrings or you could buy more from the Dollar Bead Box shop for additional design possibilities. I do really like flat discs, so I am happy to see these!

8 x 12 mm Czech Glass Gum Drop Bead in Green Opal (8)

Gumdrops are about the only Czech glass shapes I don’t have a ton of so these are welcome. I’ve seen some patterns lately where these are used and now I have some to play with. This color will fit in well with my stash, also.

6mm Czech Glass Heart in Opaque Pink (12)

There was a fair amount of pink this month, but that is handy if you are looking to construct a piece of jewelry out of only Dollar Bead Box items!  I haven’t used these yet but they are delicate, which is my usual preference for jewelry.  And after sorting my beads, I have a lot more pink than I realized, so I have plenty of coordinating beads.

10 mm Thai Hill Tribe Silver Pendant (2)

These would be good in a charm bracelet or in earrings, or possibly to the sides of a larger pendant in a necklace. I am buying more metal lately in an antiqued silver finish so it will be easy to match these with coordinating beads and charms.

6 x 8 mm Czech Glass Drop Bead in Pink Opal (12)

I did use some of these in a necklace (see below). The shape works very well for any type of dangle made with a headpin and I think these could also be good as flower petals in designs with seed beads.

3 x 5 mm Czech Glass Gem-Cut Rondelle in Dusty Rose Crystal Mix (25)

The variegated finish here kind of makes these look like semiprecious stones instead of glass, which I think is a nice effect. I used a few of these in my necklace this month, but I have a lot left over for other projects, as well.

6 x 8 mm Czech Glass Squishy Saucer in Amethyst (36)

I used a few of these in a necklace as well. I don’t think I have any other beads in this shape, but I like the descriptor “squishy” quite a bit for some reason…

7 mm Czech Firepolished Rounds in Metallic Violet (28)

I haven’t used these yet, but I have been trying to bulk up my collection of larger firepolished beads and I don’t have any with this finish. I like how sparkly they are.

8 mm Czech Firepolished Rounds in Siam (24)

I will always be happy to get red beads, and “Siam” is one of my favorite varieties of red! I used a few of these in a necklace, but I have plenty left over for other purposes. (I am a bead hoarder so saving beads each month is fine by me. You never know when you will need something in the future, and it is so handy to have a huge stash instead of having to place an order and then wait for it to arrive.)

22 mm Double Sided Resin Blank in Antique Silver

I bought a bunch of resin not too long ago; now I need to start using it. You can put a small picture or some glitter in the bottom, or even paint a design with nail polish, and then you pour self-doming resin over the top (or use a glass cabochon in the right size if that is your preference) and you have a pendant!

7 x 13 mm Swarovski Article 5181 Keystone Bead in Crystal Red Magma

Don’t get me wrong, I like bicones and rounds and cubes, but I also think it is fun to receive some of the more unusual Swarovski shapes. I have some ideas for this, but I will probably have to order some more of these (or possibly in different colors) first. That’s just what I need–an excuse to order more beads!

19 mm Swarovski Article 5525 Wave Bead in Crystal Astral Mix

Here is another interesting Swarovski shape that I don’t already have in my collection. This is a fun color, too. I will have to see if rivolis or chatons come in this color (just because I like this color a lot, and Swarovski usually offers multiple items in each color).

15 mm Czech Glass Table Cut Tabular Square in Yellow Opal with Travertine

We got another bead similar to this last month in a different color. I am thinking I will collect these in several more colors and make a simple strung bracelet out of them.

6 mm Czech Glass Tabular Square in Opaque Turquoise (10)

I have a lot in my collection that coordinates with this color. (My strategy lately has been “Will this look good with copper? Buy it!” and turquoise definitely looks good with copper.) I think these might be good spacers between larger beads.

3 x 5 mm Czech Glass Gem Cut Rondelle in Light Aqua Opal (25)

This is another bead that will go well with other colors in my stash. I recently got a bunch of Amazonite that is a really similar color, and these beads could be great spacers between some larger Amazonite rounds. Maybe with a bit of brass for contrast.

2 x 3 mm Czech Glass Gem-Cut Rondelle in Spring Tones (50)

These aren’t all that varied in color like the “desert tones” ones but they are quite similar to the beads just above and could definitely work in some of the same projects.  There are a lot of them to play around with, too, which is nice.

Here is a necklace I made with some of the beads from the box and a crescent pendant finding I got on Etsy.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the December 2017 Dollar Bead Box, for reasons explained above. There were 20 items (if I counted right) so if you divide the cost of the box by the number of items, it is about $0.98 per item. The colors this month were especially well-suited to other items already in my stash (though that may be due to the ridiculous size of my stash more than anything else) and there were a lot of bead types that I don’t already have (or don’t have enough of).

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

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today?  No, but if there is an item that appeals to you, if you become a Dollar Bead Box member, you can order items from past Dollar Bead Boxes from the Dollar Bead Box shop for $1 each (plus shipping).

Value Breakdown: This box costs $24.00 (price + shipping), meaning, if you include shipping, the average cost of each of these 20 items is $1.20.

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!

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