BeadCrate Subscription Box Review – November 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 “Earthy.”

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!

3mm Color Trends Saturated Metallic Hazelnut (Czech glass, 50)

3mm firepolished beads are useful in so many ways – as spacers, in patterns, etc. And this color is useful because it will work as part of a lot of different color schemes. I haven’t used these yet, but I will soon.

4mm Carnelian Rounds (10)

Real semiprecious stones are rare in bead subscriptions due to the cost. It is nice to get them every now and then. These will look wonderful in a pendant; lots of patterns for shaped beads these days have a few 4mm rounds in them.

12mm Quest Antique Gold 3-Hole Connector (USA Pewter, 1)

This is a new brand for me; Quest seems to be a TierraCast competitor based on the sorts of items we received from them this month. It is a little weird to get only one of these, as I would typically use them in pairs in a necklace or earrings, but I think this can be adapted to make a tassel-like focal for a necklace.

7 x 11 Teal Lanterns (Czech glass, 25)

This is a great color for the palette I’ve been using lately and these will look wonderful in a piece of jewelry with copper wire and/or copper bead accents.

4mm Round Brecciated Jasper (10)

I remember some number of years ago being obsessed with brecciated jasper because I really liked the reddish color that typically makes up a part of its appearance. These will be used in a manner similar to the carnelian beads; I think these would look great with some glass beads in a Picasso finish.

13 x 18 mm Quest Antique Silver Ladybug (USA Pewter, 1)

I’ll be honest, insects creep me out. But this does fit with the overall theme of the box. It is somewhat weighty and probably too big for earrings or a charm bracelet, but it would work as a very simple pendant.

8 x 10 mm Topaz Leaves (Czech glass, 15)

I used all of these in a necklace. I don’t typically go for the leaf-shaped beads in the projects I show you here, so I thought I would switch it up a bit. Now I kind of want to explore this theme further so I am going to go dig through my stash later to find more leaf beads.

5 x 6 mm Matte Jet Mushroom (Czech glass, 25)

You’ll usually get one Czech “shaped” bead with this subscription. This month, it is these mushrooms. I have worked with these before and have a couple of pendant patterns that make use of them, so that is probably how these will get used.

14 mm Preciosa M.C. AB Flower (Czech crystal, 1)

Preciosa is a common brand to see in this box, but they generally make beads that are high quality, so I don’t complain. I am thinking of making some necklaces meant for layering from this and the ladybug. I just need to make a little bail out of wire so I can hang this from a chain and I am all set.

6mm Matte Amethyst Firepolished Rounds (Czech glass, 25)

I sometimes can’t come up with ways to use firepolished rounds larger than 3 or 4mm. I had an idea for these, though, and I think it turned out well. (See below.) I like most jewel tones so these were a win for me.

13 x 16 mm Quest Antique Gold Toggle (USA Pewter, 1)

You won’t always get a clasp with this subscription, but this month we did. I like the square shape just because it is different from most toggle clasps. As I mentioned earlier, this brand is new to me, but the metal plating was nice and even.

11/0 Toho Seed Beads in Root Beer (16 g)

You’ll usually get at least one tube of seed beads in BeadCrate. They vary from month to month, with 8/0 and 11/0 being the most common sizes to see. This is definitely an earthy color, in keeping with the theme. I used a few of these in my project this month, but I have a lot of them left over, too.

I had an idea using the mushroom beads and carnelian beads but after a good hour of trying to make it work, I gave up. Instead, I started making these flower motifs, then I connected them together. I used the toggle clasp in the back.

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 $1.33 per item. I love the deep, warm colors of autumn and I got to play with a lot of them here.

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