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Bargain Bead Box Subscription Review – January 2019

Ragan Buckley
ByRagan BuckleyJan 23, 2019 | 1 comment

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Envelope Top

Bargain Bead Box
5 overall rating
10 Ratings | 2 Reviews

Bargain Bead Box is a monthly subscription promising over $40 worth of quality jewelry-making supplies every month.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Organza Top

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - All Products Top

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 January 2019 “Winter Wonderland” 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:

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Booklet FrontBargain Bead Box January 2019 - Booklet Back

There was a letter in the box with some more information on the theme (“Winter Wonderland”). 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!

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Dotted Round Bead Caps Top

20 Pieces 8mm Dotted Round Bead Caps

You’ll get a lot of bead caps in this subscription. All the metal beads and findings provided will be in the same metal tone, which is nice for design purposes. This month, we got rose gold as the finish (you’ll normally receive antique copper, antique silver, brass, etc., but every now and then there will be a rose gold month). I used some of these in a bracelet.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Crystal Bicone Beads Top

100+ Pieces 4mm Crystal Bicone Beads

I am liking this month’s color scheme so far. The whites and clears look nice with a touch of color from the rose gold, and they’re so appropriate for winter. These are Chinese crystal bicones (you’ll get a lot of Chinese crystal with this subscription) and they have some nice sparkle. Plus you get a lot of them.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Branch Pendant Links Top

4 Pieces 38 x 19mm Branch Pendant Links

You can use these as pendants or you can hook a jump ring through a leaf to make them links. (Yes, those are cat hairs. Hard to avoid them at my house.) These are pretty lightweight so they might even work in earrings. I think some wire wrapping could really make these stand out.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Crystal Teardrop Briolette Beads Top

12 Pieces 12 x 16mm Crystal Teardrop Briolette Beads

I like briolette beads and I especially like getting more than just 2 or 4 of them. These go nicely with the other crystal (cubes, bicones, rondelles).

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Steel Rolo Jewelry Chain Top

1m 3 x 2mm Steel Rolo Jewelry Chain

You’ll usually get a length of chain with this subscription. It is typically plated steel chain, which you need to keep in mind for two reasons: plating on metals can decrease in thickness and eventually wear through if worn in close contact with the skin on a regular basis and also, you’ll want to use heavy-duty wire cutters since this is steel, which may damage regular jewelry-grade wire cutters.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Round Toggle Clasps Top

4 Sets Round Toggle Clasps

You’ll also always get clasps with this subscription. These are large enough to work for a necklace or heavier bracelet.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Crystal Cube Beads Top

20 Pieces 6mm Crystal Cube Beads

Cubes are sort of rare in terms of crystal shapes you’ll receive in this box. These are clear and would look good with any metal tone.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Steel Jump Rings, Rose Gold Finish Top

10g 21 Gauge 6mm Steel Jump Rings, Rose Gold Finish

This is just a useful item. You don’t get jump rings in subscription boxes very often. I know when we received our first rose gold Bargain Bead Box several years ago, I had to go out and buy a bunch of rose gold findings (and I have a huge stash). So if you are newer to beading or to this subscription, you’ll probably be needing these!

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Matte Crackle Agate Round Beads Top

7.5” Strand 8mm Matte Crackle Agate Round Beads

You’ll occasionally receive semiprecious stone beads in Bargain Bead Box. These are larger agate rounds with a matte finish and I think they look great with the rest of the box contents. I used a few of these in my bracelet this month.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Natural Quartz Crystal Tree of Life Pendant Top

Hand-Wrapped Natural Quartz Crystal Tree of Life Pendant

This one took me a moment to parse because when I opened it, I only saw a coil of wire on the back. But it is actually a fully-wrapped pendant with a tree design. I think this is an interesting take on those circular tree of life pendants. (You’ll often get one or two large pendants in this subscription.)

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Crystal Rondelle Beads Top

40 Pieces 8 x 6mm Crystal Rondelle Beads

I am loving all the clear faceted beads this month. I have wanted for a while to make something using crystal faceted beads and little else, as it would be so sparkly and match so many outfits, and getting these has moved me closer to that eventual goal. I also used a few of these in a bracelet.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Crystal Rough Nugget Beads Top

5 Pieces Electroplated Natural Quartz Crystal Rough Nugget Beads

If you want to go more Boho with your design, these could work. (We have started to receive more drilled and wrapped crystal points in this subscription, and these nuggets fit that aesthetic really well.) The electroplating, I think, enhances the natural color of these beads without seeming too artificial.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Sea “Opal” Glass Rondelle Beads Top

10” Strand 6 x 4mm Sea “Opal” Glass Rondelle Beads

“Sea opal” is a milky, translucent glass that looks a lot like a semiprecious stone. These are smooth rondelles that would be excellent spacers in a variety of designs.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Tribal-Style Spacer Beads Top

50 Pieces 3.5mm Tribal-Style Spacer Beads

You’ll usually receive at least one metal accent bead and this month, it is these rather small faceted metal spacers. I used a few of these in a bracelet, which you can see below.

Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Bracelet Top Bargain Bead Box January 2019 - Bracelet Front

I know I make wrap bracelets kind of often, but I bought a WrapIt Loom when Beadaholique was having a sale over the holidays and I wanted to try it out. It is not too hard to set up, which is great, but one thing I did not think about and should have is that you need a longer bracelet when you are using bigger (i.e., non-seed) beads, so this did end up a little too short for me. I will take it apart and reclaim the beads at some point, probably to make a longer version of the same bracelet.

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. I really like the combination of rose gold and white and appreciate getting jump rings (such a basic item but if you don’t have much (or any) rose gold around, it’s something you most likely need.

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 February 2019 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!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What did you think of the January 2019 Bargain Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?

Starting at $19.49
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Bargain Bead Box is a monthly subscription box for bead lovers and jewelry designers. Each shipment includes over $40 worth of glass, gemstone, crystal, and/or metal beads & findings for $17.95 per month, curated around a surprise theme.

Ragan Buckley
Ragan Buckley
Ragan stumbled across My Subscription Addiction in late 2013 and immediately subscribed to way too many beauty boxes. She's now focused on boxes for her cats and dog, vegan/vegetarian food boxes, and craft subscriptions (and she didn't give up beauty boxes entirely).

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1 comment

Marian

I really enjoy your reviews of the Bargain Bead box. I’ve only been a subscriber for a few months so it’s fun to see what you’ve made at the end of your review. Thanks for sharing.

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