BeadCrate Subscription Box Review – May 2018

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. 

About BeadCrate

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”)

BeadCrate May 2018 “Fortune Teller” Review

Bead Crate is great for stash-building if you are into seed beads and Czech glass, and you’ll also usually get some useful supplies:

This letter/information sheet accompanied the shipment. The theme this month was “Fortune Teller.”

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 Siam Ruby Faceted Rounds Czech Glass, 50 Pieces

I had recently purchased a pattern that called for 3mm and 4mm Czech glass (or other 3mm and 4mm beads) fire polished beads, so I used these to make a length of that pattern for part of my project this month. I have a few left but that’s OK as this is a versatile bead type in a good color.

4mm Topaz Faceted Rounds, Czech Glass, 38 Pieces

There weren’t quite enough of these to make the bracelet I wanted to go all the way around, so I used some other items from the box to make up the difference. However, these did integrate into my project nicely and I have a small number left to do something else with.

13mm Amethyst Flat Star Beads Czech glass, 6 Pieces

Back in my earlier beading years (I’m talking like 20 years ago), I had a thing for celestial-themed beads. So I have quite a lot in my stash that will go with these if I want to maintain the star theme. I always enjoy digging through my older beads and rediscovering past purchases and having these will be a great excuse to do so again.

1mm Pleather Cord USA polymer, 3 Feet

You’ll usually get one supply item with this subscription (could be anything from a needle threader to a bead stopper). This month it is some faux leather cord. I like to use this type of material to make wrap bracelets and since I have small wrists, 3 feet should be sufficient to go around several times, even folded in half.

12mm Crystal Balls Czech glass, 4 Pieces

I used two of these to get a bit of extra length in my bracelet (see below). I still have two left so I could make some matching earrings, or I could use them in a similar manner in a different bracelet. There are a lot of possibilities.

8mm Jet Diagonal Cubes Czech Glass, 25 Pieces

These remind me of dice slightly. Anyway, I recently bought some vintage lucite and acrylic beads in black and these would make great accent beads for some of those items.

11 x 14 mm Hamsa Bead Frame for 5mm Bead, 1 Piece

I opened two bead subscription boxes on the same day and they both had this item (Dollar Bead Box actually had two of them). I don’t know if that has ever happened to me before! Anyway, I’m sure I’ll use all three of them together since I have them. I just have to hunt for some 5mm beads to fit inside first (I have a lot of 4mm beads and 6mm beads but not so many in the 5mm size – you don’t want something too small or you’ll see too much of your stringing material).

6mm Siam Ruby Lentils Czech Glass, 50 Pieces

I hoard shaped beads, including lentils, so these have a place waiting in my stash. Lentils are good in fringe or can be used like flower petals around a central rivoli or cabochon if you have a pattern.

Quest “Share” Antiqued Brass Connector USA Brass, 2 Pieces

These are very simple but I like them a lot. I would actually like to get more but I haven’t seen this brand for sale at any of my usual sources (the list of which is rather long). I may hold on to these for awhile and see if I can find others before using them.

7 x 9 mm Green Vitrail Flattened Ovals Czech Glass, 25 Pieces

Two colors were possible (the other is luster blue iris, but I’m pretty sure these are the green vitrail ones). I love all flat shapes, including flat ovals, and these have such an interesting color. I actually think they’d look great with other colors that also remind me of an oil slick (hematite, other vitrail colors, maybe some of the “backlit” finished shaped beads).

8/0 Toho Silver-Lined Light Topaz Seed Beads Japanese Glass, 16g

You usually will get one type of seed beads in this subscription (usually Toho, sometimes Preciosa, and the most common sizes you’ll receive are 11/0 and 8/0). I have a large stash of 8/0 seed beads for use in patterns and these will look great with other warm colors.

35 mm Bronze Tassels, 2 Pieces

Multiple colors were possible and these may not be the “bronze” ones but sometimes it is hard to tell from a simple written description! Anyway, I have lately been into using tassels in bracelets, and these are a good size for that. I used one in my project this month.

13 x 8 mm Matte Gold Metallic Flat Twists Czech Glass, 6 Pieces

These are cool, and I don’t think I have anything else like them. I think I will use these interspersed with a chain on either side of a pendant – I think they’ll stand out most on their own instead of right next to other beads.

Here is a bracelet I made this month. I didn’t have enough of the 4mm fire polished rounds to do the whole bracelet so I ended it a bit early and added a few extra beads on the ends to make up the length. The clasp is from my stash, as are the superduos and seed beads. This is a new pattern from Deb Roberti, the Runway Bracelet and Earrings pattern, which you can buy here for $5 (or sometimes she runs pattern sales).

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for Bead Crate, as explained above in my note about prices. If you divide the cost of the box plus shipping by the number of items (I counted 13), you get about $1.61 per item. I ended up using a color combination this month that was not standard for me, and yet I really liked the way my bracelet turned out. That is one nice thing about bead subscription boxes, they get me outside my comfort zone a bit. Plus, I still have lots of goodies to play around with.

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, your subscription would start with the June box. Destash items and excess inventory (and sometimes whole boxes) may occasionally be available in the BeadCrate Etsy shop.

Value Breakdown: At $20.99 for this subscription (counting shipping), you are paying about $1.61 per item.

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!

What did you think of the May BeadCrate? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?