Dollar Bead Box Subscription Box Review – January 2018

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 $1.00. (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.)

This review is of the full Dollar Bead Box, which is $19.50 a month. 

About Dollar Bead Box

The Subscription Box: Dollar Bead Box

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

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

Ships to: US

Dollar Bead Box January 2018 Review

You’ll get a variety of different beads with this subscription, and though you can count on some strands and Czech glass nearly every month, half the fun here is seeing what other random things show up. Let’s see what we got this month:

You’ll always get a brief letter and an item list from Dollar Bead Box. The item list is useful if you are looking to reorder something but don’t know what to call it; use the name to search their shop!

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!

3mm Rounds, Antique Brass Plated (100)

These are handy little accent beads. I used some of them in a necklace, but I have quite a few left, too. They match a lot of items in my stash.

16mm Czech Glass Tabular Square, Chartreuse With Travertine (2)

I love flat squares and I love the travertine finish, so these are perfect for me. I have some similar beads in coordinating colors that I will use in a bracelet (I think) with these.

28mm 2-Hole Connector in Antique Brass (2)

I used these in a necklace; I like the way it turned out and now I want to buy more of these and/or other similar items. I like the texture on these, too.

30mm Dragonfly Pendant in Antique Brass (1)

I couldn’t look at all the antique brass this month and NOT do something with it. So this appears in a necklace (see below) along with the 3mm rounds and the 2-hole connectors.

Brass Ear Wires with Ball and Coil, Silver Plated (8)

I have some metal sensitivities, but I have found I can wear earring hooks like this if I paint them with clear nail polish first. That’s what I’ll do here, so I can use these with some of my increasing stash of silver-tone beads.

3 x 5 mm Czech Glass Gem Cut Rondelle, Jasper Mix (25)

I like the variegated finish on these. I think they would look good with some carnelian or red agate, to bring out the reddish tones.

Keys, Antique Brass and Antique Silver Assortment (3)

I realized when going through my stash the other day, I have a TON of key pendants and charms. Time to use them in a charm bracelet! These will add some variety to the project since a lot of my other ones are in an antique copper finish.

6mm Swarovski Article 6301 Bicones in “Mocca” (6)

I was surprised, but “mocca” is the spelling from Swarovski (it’s in the Fire Mountain catalog, too). Anyway, I am still thinking about what to do with these as they are top-drilled, which is not something I’m used to. Rest assured I will have a good idea soon enough.

8 x 10 mm Czech Glass Table Cut Ovals in Olive (25)

Some subscribers received these in a color called “ocean blue” instead, but I am cool with getting olive since that matches a lot of what I’ve been buying lately (basically falling under the umbrella of “this will look good with copper”).

4 x 5 mm Czech Glass Pinch Beads in Aqua (38)

Pinch beads show up in this subscription every now and then. These are great for patterns (there is one available from The Beadsmith that I like quite a bit) so that’s probably how I will use these.

2 x 3 mm Czech Glass Gem Cut Rondelle in Amethyst (25)

This is a great color. I love jewel tones, and now I have way fewer rondelles than other shapes in my collection.

Breast Cancer Pendant

This doesn’t have pink on it, but I’m using the name from the item list anyway. This is a good size for a charm bracelet.

3 x 6 mm Czech Glass Rondelle in Emerald (70)

Some subscribers received these in a shade called “vintage bronze” instead. I got the emerald ones, though, and they are beautiful. Such a deep, jewel-toned green, with a bit of an AB coating. I used a few as accents in a necklace, but I’m happy to have a lot left.

10mm Czech Glass Tabular Square in Opaque Turquoise with Travertine (19)

This is another color that fits nicely into my stash (plus, you know, travertine finish, which has been a favorite of mine lately), AND these are flat squares, one of my favorite shapes. So these were a win all around.

6mm Swarovski Article 6301 Bicone in Cyclamen Opal (6)

These are more top-drilled bicones. By contrast, most bicones are drilled from one point to the other. I need to go look for some patterns that call for these guys so I can see how other people use them. That ought to give me a few ideas, at least.

12 x 20 mm Czech Glass 2-Hole Rectangles in Silver Opal (2)

These would work in earrings or on either side of a focal bead in a necklace or bracelet. They have two holes going along the long axis, which is a little different, but it also opens up some new design possibilities.

I used some of the antique brass-finished items along with the green rondelles in a simple necklace. This box kind of has me itching to buy a bunch more filigree connectors in this same style, to see what else I can come up with.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the January 2018 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. The colors this month were especially well-suited to other items already in my stash (though that may be due to the ridiculous size of my stash more than anything else) and I loved getting a lot of antique-finish brass, this made it super easy to come up with an idea.

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: This box costs $24.00 (price + shipping), meaning, if you include shipping, the average cost of each of these 16 items is $1.22.

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 January 2018 Dollar Bead Box?  Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?