Vintage Bead Box Subscription Review – December 2019
Vintage Bead Box is a monthly DIY craft subscription box providing you with beads and findings manufactured between about 1930 and 1970.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Vintage Bead Box
The Subscription Box: Vintage Bead Box
The Cost: $25/month
The Products: Beads and findings made from a variety of materials (glass, wood, semiprecious stones, metal, acrylic, etc.). Most were manufactured between 1930 and 1970.
Ships to: The US (free), Worldwide (additional shipping charges will apply)
Vintage Bead Box December 2019 Review
All Vintage Bead Boxes are now themed. This month’s theme was “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”:
There isn’t a traditional information card with this box because, owing to the nature of the contents (i.e., limited supply), every box could be a little different.
A note on prices: Because these beads are vintage, they can’t be purchased separately from any sources. Further, materials, country of manufacture, and more, can be a little difficult to determine precisely. Thus, I have opted not to provide prices in this review.
Please note that no directions are given and you have to supply your own needles, stringing materials, tools, and findings.
Faceted Glass Beads
You’ll usually get at least one variety of glass beads in Vintage Bead Box. This month was heavier on the glass. Here are the first glass beads, some faceted white ones. I used some of these in a pair of earrings, which you can see below.
Faux Pearl Beads
Faux pearls are another Vintage Bead Box mainstay. I love seeing all the different sizes, shapes, and colors, as today’s faux pearls tend more towards classic round styles. These have an interesting texture and I made dangles out of a couple of them for use in earrings.
Faux Pearl Beads
Here is a second set of faux pearls. These are such a warm color and could work for so many different occasions depending on what you pair them with. You could use them in place of a gold, or with some other earth tones (like some brown jaspers and/or agates), or by themselves in a bracelet with some brass spacers.
Wedding Cake Lampwork
I am not sure where “wedding cake” in the name of these comes from, but it is actually quite nice to get so many matching lampwork beads. I haven’t had this many of the same kind before and am not yet sure what to do with them. (Usually, lampwork beads are expensive and larger and obtained in smaller sets of 2-7 beads.) I have a feeling the look will change a lot depending on what colors I match them with.
Metal Plated Glass
Something that seems to have been common decades ago but not so much anymore is metal plated glass or plastic. What’s great about these is that they have the look of metal but are so much lighter, which expands the possibilities for use. I used most of these in some earrings this month.
Bead Caps
I think this is the first time I’ve received bead caps in Vintage Bead Box. They are pretty close to the metal plated glass in color so they could be used together. I have recently been collecting a lot of gemstone rounds, though, so these will probably get used with those to add some color and texture variety to a necklace or bracelet.
Glass Beads
These are a few different sizes and shapes of smooth red glass beads. I got so many beads in this box this month (10 items when usually there are 8 or 9) that I haven’t gotten around to using them yet but I do think they are a lovely holiday color and I am a fan of red glass in general. Also I think they go quite nicely with numerous other beads from this shipment.
Frosted Acrylic Beads
Acrylic beads are also a Vintage Bead Box mainstay. Vintage acrylic beads are commonly available but they come in so many different sizes and shapes and colors, they’re just a lot of fun. They’re lightweight, which opens up a lot of possibilities for use. The frosted finish here kind of reminds me of ice or snow and the color is such that they’ll really go with anything. They are graduated in size which suggests use in a necklace, so that’s probably what I’ll do.
Snowflake Obsidian
You’ll usually receive a few semiprecious gemstone beads in this subscription. It’s normally chips or rounds, so I’m happy to see these rough drops (not really sure what to call the shape). I have a fair amount of snowflake obsidian already in my collection which means it will be easy to find something to coordinate with them. This shape is a bit unusual and these are drilled at one end, so they would best be used in a necklace or some earrings.
Faceted Glass Beads
And last, but not least, another set of faceted glass beads. These are a lovely red color. There are enough that I could use them as a center row in right angle weave, if I’m in the mood for bead weaving, or they’d also work in a stringing project, perhaps with something black like onyx or obsidian.
Here is a project I did with some of this month’s beads:
Comments (2)
Thanks for sharing your process!! I was surprised to see so many of those lamp work beads as well.
Hi Ragan. Watching you create the earrings was great. Thanks for the review.