Facet Jewelry Box Bead Stringing Review + Coupon – September 2018

Facet Jewelry Box is a new subscription box from the editors at Facet Jewelry and Bead & Button magazine. They offer two versions: the “Quick and Easy Stringing” box and the “Bead Stitching” box, so you can choose a subscription based on your skill level and interests, as well as the amount of time you want to invest in the projects.

This is a review of the $24.95 a month “Quick and Easy Stringing” box (both versions cost the same).

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

About Facet Jewelry Box

The Subscription Box: Facet Jewelry Box Quick & Easy Stringing

The Cost: $24.95 a month + free US shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.

LIMITED TIME DEAL: Use code SAVE50 for 50% off your first box!

The Products: Materials and instructions to complete two beading/jewelry making projects using stringing techniques.

Ships to: US (free) and international (shipping fee will be assessed during checkout and you will be responsible for customs charges, VAT, receiving charges, etc., as appropriate for your location)

Facet Jewelry Box Quick and Easy Stringing September 2018 Review

This is still a fairly new subscription so I really didn’t know what was in store:

The first thing you see when you open the box is this full-color booklet. I haven’t shown you all of the pages inside, because part of the subscription fee is for the projects that are included.

This is a really nice booklet, honestly, but I’d expect nothing less from the folks at Bead & Button (I’ve been a subscriber for a while now). There are also links to online resources if you need a little help with a technique.

Petal Drop Earrings

I was happy to see some shaped beads (rose petals) among the materials.

The first step was to make these chains using the jump rings provided. The jump rings were maybe not the best quality. There was a significant amount of overlap with the ends in a way that is not consistent really with either being machine-cut or being saw-cut.

So what you were supposed to do is open the jump rings and put them through the rose petals. There were a lot of warnings in the booklet about how certain coatings are thicker and you might have trouble getting the jump rings through the holes. It was suggested to check the holes with the included 20 ga wire to make sure it would go through, and some extra beads were provided in case of breakage.

Well, as you can see most clearly from the purple ones in this photo, the jump rings did not fit nicely through the holes for some of the beads. I did break at least three, even being careful. The problem here is that a straight 20 ga wire *might* fit through the hole (in fact, it did for all of these) but that does not mean a curved 20 ga jump ring will fit – the curve needs a wider-diameter hole.

Anyway, I found some similar but slightly narrower jump rings in my stash so I just used them instead.

I think if a 20 ga wire fits through the hole, you need to go up to 21 or 22 ga jump rings for this project to work. It is OK to go with such narrow width because they’re not holding anything particularly heavy, just a single rose petal bead each.

Anyway, I was able to move on using my own jump rings; what you are supposed to do is attach them to the chains you made in the first step.

And here are the finished earrings. I actually do like the color palette and I like how they turned out. I have a lot of both small and large rose petal beads in my stash with which I can try some similar projects.

Multicolor Choice Necklace

Here are all of the materials needed for this month's necklace.

The process of making the necklace was a bit repetitive so I don’t have many “in progress” photos to show you. Here is the clasp attached to the chain.

And here are some of the drops I made. Note: the instructions called for wrapped loops but (1) the headpins provided had really thick wires which would’ve made nice-looking wrapped loops difficult (I do OK wrapped loops with 22 gauge wire, but not with wire this thick) and (2) after the frustration with the earrings, I just did not have it in me to make 50+ wrapped loops since it is something I do not enjoy doing. So I made plain loops instead. There was a section in the instructions encouraging a bit of customization!

Here is my necklace. I made the dangles a little closer together and cut off some of the chain so that the necklace would be a more preferred length for me.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for Facet Jewelry Box. I feel like the projects were designed to fit the “quick and easy” description, though some frustrations with materials made them maybe not so “quick and easy.” I had never made wrapped loops before starting with this subscription and I’m pretty sure I never want to make another one again after the number of projects containing them. But I do have to admit, I like the finished look and color palettes for both of the projects this month.

I think that, in general, the people who will enjoy this version of the box the most are (1) people new to beading or (2) people who like to bead but don’t have a ton of time.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? You will receive the October box. Boxes go out after the 20th and people who sign up before the 15th will get that month’s box. If you sign up after the 15th, you may still be able to get that month’s box but this is not guaranteed.

LIMITED TIME DEAL: Use code SAVE50 for 50% off your first box!

Value Breakdown: At $24.95 per box, you are paying about $12.48 per project.

Check out all of our Facet Jewelry Box reviews the Craft + DIY Subscription Box List 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 September 2018 Quick and Easy Stringing Facet Jewelry Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?