Vintage Bead Box Subscription Review + Coupon – July 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.

Wood Beads

These are different shapes from the wood beads I usually get in subscription boxes. They are pretty lightweight, and I think they could make some really interesting earrings.

Faux Pearls

You’ll get a lot of faux pearls in this subscription. These are, for some reason, usually my favorite beads in the box, and you will see me use them a lot. I think I like them because there are colors, shapes, and finishes that you don’t often see in contemporary catalogs.

Marble Charms

These are different, but fun. I think they will go well in a charm bracelet. I need to get some heavier-duty bracelet chain first, though.

Stone Beads

I think these will look nice with something brass or gold-plated for contrast. I like that, as a natural material, they are a little bit irregular in size and shape.

Acrylic Beads (Blue)

You’ll usually get a few acrylic beads in this subscription. What I like about these is that, although they are rather large, they are lightweight. I made a bracelet using most of them, and even though it is super chunky, my typical magnetic clasps were strong enough to keep it closed.

Acrylic Beads (Red)

These are bigger than the sorts of beads I usually use, but I was trying to branch out this month, so I used these in a necklace. I like how it turned out.

Glass Beads

You’ll usually get a few glass beads with Vintage Bead Box. These are an interesting shape (don’t know how I would describe it, exactly) and I like the orange-red inclusions. I used most of these in a necklace with the red acrylic beads.

Metal Beads

You’ll often get one metal (or sometimes metal “look”) bead with Vintage Bead Box. This month it was some simple brass (plated?) rounds. These looked good in a bracelet with the blue acrylic beads, and I have a few left to play around with some more.

Seed Beads

Vintage Bead Box often includes some seed or bugle beads. They are not always regularly sized (these are a somewhat unusual shape), but they are great as accent beads, for making beaded beads, or for anything that doesn’t have to be super precise.  (Don’t use these where you would use Delicas…)

I decided to keep it simple this month. I also decided I would do something with the acrylic beads since you get some every month, and I have rarely used them in the pieces I show here in the past. So I made a chunky bracelet with the blue acrylic beads and the metal beads, and a necklace with some of the glass beads and the red acrylic beads. I think I would’ve liked brass a little better for the necklace, with the red, but I didn’t have the right color of findings.

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.

I had fun challenging myself this month to use some of the acrylic beads, which, due to their size, were a little outside of my comfort zone. But I like the results a lot!

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