Dollar Bead Box Subscription Review – March 2019

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. (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.)

About Dollar Bead Box

The Subscription Box: Dollar Bead Box

The Products: Beads and beading-related items including but not limited to stringing materials, Swarovski crystals, vintage glass, freshwater pearls, buttons, and more.

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 shipping with 3- and 6-month subscriptions (plus get an additional discount on 6-month subscriptions)

Ships to: US ($4.50 on a month-to-month subscription, free with longer subscriptions)

Dollar Bead Box March 2019 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:

The box usually comes with an information sheet that has a letter on one side and an item list on the 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!

4mm Czech Glass Druk in Brown Travertine (34)

I recently learned that travertine is actually slightly different from the Picasso finish and that, in glass, it is supposed to mimic the mineral travertine.  I admit, I still have difficulty telling the two apart, but I like them both. These will be great to use in patterns; I have a lot that calls for 4mm rounds and a ton of coordinating beads in my stash.

3mm Cat’s Eye Gemstone, Multi-Color (125)

I am pretty sure cat’s eye is actually glass, but it doesn’t matter. I rather like getting so many of these; it opens up options for using them in patterns, selecting only one color to work with, etc. These are nice, spring colors.

8-10mm Hand-Painted Large-Hole Porcelain Rounds, Beige with Khaki (3)

I am envisioning these in a simple bracelet using knotted leather (or fake leather) for more casual wear. Maybe I would add a few metal beads for some contrast, though.

Swarovski Xirius Chaton (Article 1088, SS39) in Sea Mist (1)

I had a cart full of chatons on Etsy when I received this box and seeing one in person made me pull the trigger. Dollar Bead Box is, in general, good at making me want to order more of something I may have sampled.

20mm Chinese Character, Pewter with Antique Copper (1)

You’ll usually get one or two charms in this subscription; the metal tone varies. This would be great as part of a charm bracelet or in a minimalist necklace. This month’s clasp (see below) matches the color of the charm, too.

16mm Pewter Toggle, Antique Copper (1)

You’ll often get one or two clasps in this subscription. Metal tones can vary. I didn’t make a necklace or bracelet this month, so I haven’t used this yet, but it is always handy to have a variety of clasps in my stash to choose from when I need one.

16 x 24mm 3-Strand Pewter Connector, Silver Plated (2)

In the past few months, we have received these in different metal tones. They are good for multistrand necklaces and dangly earrings, and I used them in a bracelet once, too. Lots of design possibilities here!

Brass Ear Wires, Antique Copper Plated (4 pairs)

Earwires are not included in Dollar Bead Box very often, but it is handy to get some every now and then. I used some of these in both my Dollar Bead Box and Dollar Bead Bag projects this month – they definitely came in handy.

20mm Czech Glass Elephant, Navy with Gold Wash (2)

We’ve been getting these in several different colors lately. I like them although I’m still trying to think of some way to use them that’s not earrings, because how many pairs of elephant earrings does one person need (I already have some I made from a previous month).

6mm Czech Glass Flower, Red with Rainbow Iris (20)

I used a couple of these in a pair of earrings this month, although I have plenty left over for other projects. I like this color and can see using the rest of these with some other leaves or possibly in conjunction with some seed beads.

8mm Czech Firepolished Rounds, Jet (24)

Fire polished rounds are always useful, especially when they are in such a basic color as black. You’ll usually get a strand or two of fire polished rounds in Dollar Bead Box; the sizes and colors vary quite a bit from month to month.

6 x 11mm Czech Glass Leaf, Transparent Green (12)

I used all of these in some earrings this month. I thought they went well with the flowers and the small size means they are lightweight.

6mm Czech Glass Druk, Mint Opal (34)

Glass rounds are nice to keep on hand in a variety of colors. There aren’t too many patterns that call for 6mm rounds, but there are a few, and I think these will look great with some Pips or daggers in another opal-like color.

7 x 11mm Czech Glass Oval, Olive Rainbow Iris (17)

Here is another strand of Czech glass. These are pretty big and are probably (at least in my mind) best suited to strung designs. I have a lot of this color in my stash so these will be easy to incorporate into a piece of jewelry.

6mm Czech Glass Pyramid, Opaque White Bronze Luster (20)

I’m pretty sure these are the Preciosa pyramids, which are a little hard to find everywhere but Fire Mountain. I would love it if Dollar Bead Box started carrying some of the more obscure Preciosa items because I see them in magazine ads and want to try them out but a lot of the newer or more unusual Preciosa shapes are hard to find. There aren’t many patterns for these yet but I’m sure I can come up with something.

10 x 13mm Czech Glass Spade Charm, Jet with White Wash (5)

I would be a little wary of using these in a bracelet because they’re glass (and would be dangly, since they are drilled from front to back), but I think these could work in some delicate earrings or as part of a purse charm or something of that nature.

Here are some earrings I made using some of the hooks (I used some more hooks in my Dollar Bead Bag review this month), the leaves, and a couple of the flower beads. These are simple but I am thinking about spring right now and so flowers and leaves just fit my mood.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the March 2019 Dollar Bead Box, for reasons explained above. There were 16 items (if I counted right) so if you divide the cost of the box by the number of items, it is about $1.22 per item. There was a little something for everyone this month. One thing that I like about Dollar Bead Box is that if you don’t find a use for something right away, a lot of times you can just hold on to it for a while and then the perfect complement will come along in another Dollar Bead Box, so it’s a good stash-building subscription.

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, 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 for this subscription, you are paying about $1.15 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 March 2019 Dollar Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?