Bargain Bead Box is a monthly subscription promising over $40 worth of quality jewelry-making supplies every month.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Bargain Bead Box
The Subscription Box: Bargain Bead Box
The Cost: $15.95
The Products: Designer-quality beads in materials like crystal, glass, and semiprecious gemstones, plus metal beads and findings. Bargain Bead Box does not send any plastic beads or seed beads.
Ships to: US (free), Canada for $7.50
Bargain Bead Box November 2018 "Holiday Wreath" Review
Bargain Bead Box always includes a few clasps and other findings in matching metal tones; this month they were in an oxidized brass finish. Here’s more about the specific items in the box this month:
There was a letter in the box with some more information on the theme (“Holiday Wreath”). The back contained a list of the month’s beads. There’s always a coupon for 30% off their retail website, too.
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!
15.5” Strand 4 x 3 mm Multicolor Dyed Quartz Faceted Rondelles
I really like these a lot – the size, the cut, the colors. They’re kind of trendy right now, too, or at least an economical version of something that’s trendy (multicolored tourmaline costs a lot more). I haven’t decided quite what to do with them yet, but I know if I just start browsing Etsy or Google images, I’ll get some inspiration in no time.
30 Pieces 5 x 4.5mm Fancy Cone Bead Caps
You’ll almost always get some bead caps with this subscription and the nice thing is, the metal tone of the bead caps always matches the metal tone of any charms, clasps, chain, or other findings you receive. These are on the smaller side but since I mostly have rather large bead caps in my collection right now, they will fill in a gap that I currently have.
15” Strand 6mm Round Green Aventurine Gemstone Beads
I’ve always been a fan of green aventurine (I think because it is sort of jade-like but way less expensive) so I’m happy to have received these. I used a handful of them in a bracelet this month, which you can see below.
15” Strand 8mm Round Sesame Jasper Gemstone Beads
Bargain Bead Box is making me appreciate unusual jaspers a lot more; we get some in quite a few of our shipments and it is almost always a variety I hadn’t seen before. These were a bit large for the project I had in mind this month, but I do want to start working with larger gemstone beads in a more general sense, so it is nice to have these on hand.
1 Piece 29 x 44mm Detailed Leaf Focal Bead
You’ll usually get one or two rather large focal beads in this subscription. This is the smaller of the two, this month. I like the level of detail on this; seems perfect to go with some beaded glass flowers or another small, sparkly accent. I know you can’t see scale here, but this is more suited for a necklace than a bracelet, in terms of size.
21” Strand 6mm Glass Beads, Holly Berry w/Metallic Green Iris
I thought the partial iris coating here was very nice, but I also liked the bright red. I used some of these in a bracelet this month (pictured below).
21” Strand 4mm Glass Beads, Coral w/Metallic Green Iris
Here is a little bit of a variation on the above item; I was also a fan of these and used many of them in a bracelet. The ones I have left over will probably go into a piece made from a pattern since 4mm rounds are very common in patterns.
10 Pieces 14 x 10mm Poinsettia Charms
You’ll often get charms in this subscription. These happened to be a nice size for what I wanted to do, so I used most of them in a bracelet. I still have one left and I may add it to a random charm bracelet made from all the one-offs I have in my collection.
30 Pieces 5 x 4.5mm Dotted Bicone Spacer Beads
Here are some metal accent beads; you’ll often receive something along these lines (i.e., some kind of metal spacer, though not always in exactly the same size and shape). I haven’t used these yet, but I have absolutely a ton of findings in a matching color so I know they will go to good use soon.
2 Sets 16 x 14mm Leaf Accent Toggle Clasps
This subscription always contains at least a couple of clasps, which is so nice. I can use them each month to make something to show MSA readers and I can also build my collection! Anyway, I used one of these in my bracelet. (I’m not always a fan of toggles for bracelets, but the one I made this month was heavy enough to justify it.)
1m 2.4 x 6mm Steel Figaro Jewelry Chain
You’ll get chain most months with this subscription, too, in a variety of styles. I didn’t end up using this, this time (it wasn’t quite heavy enough for what I wanted) but I have put it into my shoebox full of chain so when I go looking for something in this color I will find it among my options. Since this is steel, you’ll want to use extra heavy-duty wire cutters rather than standard beading wire cutters.
65 x 48mm Filigree Poinsettia Pendant
Here is the month’s second pendant. I’ve been wanting to try more beading on top of filigrees so that is probably how I will use this.
5 Pieces 12mm Fluted Round Ceramic Beads
These have large enough holes that they could be strung on leather cord or even hemp for a macramé project. I have totally lost my macramé skills but maybe I should take it up again? I made all kinds of items from beaded, knotted hemp cord when I was in college.
18 Pieces 10 x 8mm Diagonally Drilled Cut Glass Crystal Cube Beads
You’ll often get some Chinese crystal with this subscription. These are a bit unusual for the crystal inclusion, but I do like them and think it is nice the folks at Bargain Bead Box are mixing it up a bit this month (usually you get bicones or rondelles). I’ve just purchased a bunch of beads with an iris finish that I think will look nice with these.
Here is a bracelet I made for the month using the red and green rounds, the green aventurine beads, some of the poinsettia charms, and one of the clasps. The headpins and jump rings are from my stash, and I did use different chain than supplied in the box because I wanted something a little heavier for this piece. But what I was doing was trying to make something vaguely wreath-like to stick with the theme, and I think it turned out pretty well.
Verdict: I did not calculate a value for Bargain Bead Box, as explained above. The information sheet gives a retail value of about $56 and I can believe that value if you were to go out looking for similar beads to purchase individually. There is definitely enough here to make several pieces of jewelry, too. Looking at it another way, you are paying just over $1 per item since the price is $15.95 and there were 14 items this month. And THAT is a pretty good deal.
Please note that no directions are given and you have to supply your own needles, stringing materials, tools, etc.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you would receive the December 2018 box as your first one, although they do sometimes offer past boxes on their site, and individual items can sometimes be purchased from Bead Box Bargains.
Value Breakdown: At $15.95 for this subscription, you are paying about $1.14 per item.
Check out all of our Bargain Bead Box reviews and more craft subscription boxes in the DIY Subscription Box List!
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What did you think of the November 2018 Bargain Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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