Dollar Bead Box Subscription Review – July 2018

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 + shipping. 

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 July 2018 Review

You’ll get a variety of different beads with this subscription. You can count on some strands and Czech glass nearly every month, but 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! (This list seems to have undergone a format update lately.) The folks at Dollar Bead Box recently went on a bead-buying trip in the Czech Republic and I’ll be interested to see in my box in the coming months, what sorts of things they brought back.

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!

8mm Preciosa Squaredelle Matte Black AB2X (2)

This is one type of item I don’t have a ton of in my stash. I have some, but not a lot. It’s the kind of item I’d definitely consider getting more of because I always thought that these would look really nice between some semiprecious beads. I have a lot of black onyx that I think would work well with these.

3 x 5 mm Czech Glass Gem-Cut Rondelle in Smoky Quartz (25)

You’ll always get a few strands of Czech beads in this subscription. Sometimes they are standard firepolished rounds, but sometimes they are different shapes like these rondelles. I have always thought this color of glass looked nice with pearls and gold-tone findings so I am leaning in that direction for these.

16mm Heart and Key Toggle, Antique Brass (1)

You’ll usually get a few findings with this subscription. As it happens, this month I had need of a clasp and since this one was in the box, I went ahead and used antique brass all around.

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

I used some of these in a bracelet this month just for some variation in color and texture and to add sparkle. I would normally think of using these in a fancier piece, but they turned out to work pretty well in something more casual.

20mm Pewter Connector, Antique Silver Plated (2)

I think these might look nice between some beaded filigrees and I did just buy a bunch of filigrees to practice beading on. Or, you could even bead these – there are enough holes and cutouts!

7 x 14mm Czech Glass Matte Metallic Dagger (color varies, 25)

I haven’t seen this particular “dagger” shape, it is a little different from the others in my collection. There are enough of these to use as rays or petals in a rivoli pendant, or they’d be pretty good as dangles or fringe elements, as well.

5mm Czech Glass Druk, Jet (24)

This is a nice, basic shape. These weren’t quite as regular as some other druks I’ve got in my stash, but they will work well enough in strung designs, as dangles, etc. This is a color that will work with a lot of different color schemes, too.

9 x 14mm Czech Glass Leaf, Opaque Green (25)

There are SO MANY leaf shapes out there, drilled front to back, or down the long axis, or side-to-side, but this is one I didn’t already have in my collection. I kind of like getting an actual leaf color, too. I used a lot of these as charms in a bracelet, which you can see below.

22 x 23 mm Pewter “Dream Big” Mouse with Book Pendant (1)

This isn’t exactly my style in terms of jewelry, but I know a few people who would absolutely love it, so I’m hanging on to this one to use in a gift. Or, you could probably incorporate this into a handmade bookmark, where I think it would be totally appropriate.

2 x 3 mm Czech Glass Gem-Cut Rondelle in Orange Opal (50)

These are so small. But, I’ve been on an orange/yellow/hot pink binge lately and these fit right in. I used a lot of them in a bracelet, which you can see below.

15mm Czech Glass Pendant, Jet with Travertine (1)

This is small for a pendant but, then, I tend to make more delicate jewelry since I am small-boned, and I have a ton of beads in my stash that would look good with this since it is a style and color I’ve been hoarding lately. (If it sounds like I say that often, it’s because I’ve spent entirely too much money on beads in the last 6-7 months…)

3 x 5 mm Czech Glass Pinch Beads (color varies, 40)

You will usually get a few shaped Czech beads in Dollar Bead Box and pinch beads are common. Here is one thing I like to do with pinch beads (free pattern), though you’d have to order a few more to finish off a whole bracelet or necklace with these elements.

12mm Czech Glass 2-Hole Pyramid in Olive Green Luster (2)

More shaped beads, yay! There are some good patterns using these guys as center elements in various motifs. You could either do a pair of earrings or buy some more and make a whole bracelet. This is a bead type I have some of in my collection and it is possible I already have some others in these or a matching color.

15mm Pewter Thai Hill Tribe Style Beads, Antique Silver Plated (2)

These aren’t authentic Hill Tribe beads or they’d be actual silver all the way through (and be subject to tarnish and cost a lot more). But, they’re lightweight and appropriately sized for earrings or would work on either side of a pendant or the centerpiece of a bracelet.

8mm Preciosa Squaredelle in Silver-Plated Emerald (2)

Like the black ones above, I think these would be good with semiprecious stones. I think I have some green aventurine that would look particularly nice with them. They’re decorative enough on their own that I think they’d be best as simple spacers.

6 x 17mm Czech Glass Spike in Opaque Beige (6)

And even more shaped beads! I’ve been wanting to work more with dramatic centerpieces (spikes, Preciosa Villa, gumdrops, etc.) so I was happy to see these, especially in a color that fits wonderfully into my collection. Six is enough for a bracelet pattern for me since I have small wrists!

8mm Split Rings in Antique Brass (100)

When I make bracelets or necklaces with lobster claw clasps, I kind of like to use these opposite the clasp instead of a jump ring. I feel they make a much more secure connection (important, since I don’t want to lose a piece of jewelry I spent a lot of time making). Anyway, you’ll receive split rings fairly often in this subscription but it saves me from ever having to buy them so that’s OK (and the finish and size vary, you don’t always get the same thing).

Here is a bracelet I made this month. I used the crystal rondelles, orange rondelles, leaves, and clasp along with some chain and jump rings from my stash.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the July 2018 Dollar Bead Box, for reasons explained above. There were 17 items so if you divide the cost of the box by the number of items, it is about $1.41 per item. The mix was eclectic this month, but that’s usually the case, and I would definitely say this was representative of what you would receive in a given month if you were to subscribe.

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: At $19.50 + $4.50 shipping for this subscription, you are paying about $1.41 per item.

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 July 2018 Dollar Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?