Dollar Bead Box Review – October 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. (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 October 2018 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.

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!

You’ll normally get a brief letter and a list of items. This was missing from my box this month, I don’t know if I was overlooked or they didn’t get the item lists printed in time. Anyway, below you will see my not-so-good attempts to come up with item names. Let's see what we got this month:

Yellow Picasso Bell Flowers

I have a lot of smaller bell flowers in my collection but these are rather large. I used these in a bracelet this month as charms near the clasp. You can see what I did below.

Blue Squares

I don’t know the materials for anything in this box because I didn’t get the item list, but I am guessing the bulk of it is Czech glass. Anyway, these are one-hole squares with the hole down the center and parallel to the outer edges. These would be good in a delicate bracelet.

Antique Copper-Plated Toggle Clasp

We got this same item last month, but mine was missing the key part. (It is also possible the folks at Dollar Bead Box saw my review and sent me this one as a replacement.) Anyway, I used this in a bracelet this month. Antique copper is a great finish for fall.

Silvertone Flower Charm

You’ll get a lot of one-off charms in Dollar Bead Box. I am actually thinking of making a charm bracelet with them, just kind of an eclectic mix tied together only by metal tone.

Silvertone Headpins

The finish on these are nice enough, they could definitely be silver plated. Anyway, this is a useful item to have and these will definitely get used. Plus I like not having to buy basics like this because I get them in boxes every now and then.

Kokopelli Charms

More charms. You’ll get a variety of metal finishes in Dollar Bead Box. These came in two different finishes, one antique silvertone and one antique brass. These are an excellent size for bracelets or buy more from the Dollar Bead Box shop to make earrings.

Ladybug Beads

These are almost certainly Czech glass. They could easily be used anywhere you’d use flattish ovals, but if you look at them, you see faint impressions outlining wings and wing spots, which add an extra dimension of interest.

Swarovski Marguerite Lochrose Flowers

You’ll often get a piece or two of genuine Swarovski crystal in Dollar Bead Box and this month it is these margarita/Marguerite Lochrose flowers (I’ve seen them called both names in various places).

Topaz Nugget Beads

Just to be clear, this is topaz colored glass and not actual topaz mineral, but this color is usually called something like that. I don’t know if the shape has an official name, they are sort of irregular-looking rondelles. Anyway, I used a lot of these in a bracelet this month, which you can see below.

Orange Banded Rondelles

This is a cool color effect. I’d like to see other beads with this color scheme in future months! (Or, a similar banded color effect in other colors would also be nice.) This color goes really well with other items in my collection and I think it would look good with either copper or brass findings.

Orange Squares

I love flat ovals and squares so I was happy to see these. I like the banding effect here, too. I actually just bought a lot of similar beads off of Etsy because I think the colors are cool.

Half Mirror-Finish Lavender Fire Polished Beads

I think these are 8mm but I didn’t measure them, it’s just a guess. You’ll usually get a few strands of beads with this subscription, often sizes and shapes that don’t appear in Dollar Bead Bag. I think this color needs to go with some silvertone findings to really play off the shiny coating.

Purple/White Rondelles

These are tiny, maybe 2 x 3mm (they may look larger in the photo). They’d be good spacers and may work in patterns with a little bit of experimentation.

Antique Copper Split Rings

I don’t have split ring pliers but I find these are generally good for attaching clasps or charms to strung pieces because, unlike jump rings, they don’t have a gap where a thread can slip through. I used one this month, though I obviously have a lot left.

Turquoise Picasso Table Cut Bead

This color and finish are popular right now and I am happy to see a shape that is not already overrepresented in my collection. I really have quite a lot of coordinating beads and this will be a great centerpiece in a bracelet.

Yellow Picasso Coffee Bean Beads

These kind of have the shape of coffee beans, I’m not sure if there is another name for them. They are ovals but not really flat and they have grooves that sort of follow the surface/twist of the bead down the center. I used most of these in a bracelet this month.

Econoflex Beading Wire

You’ll get a fair amount of stringing material with this subscription (and it really could be nearly anything, from something like this for strung necklaces to a vegan leather cord, silk ribbons, etc.). This is a product line from Softflex I was not previously familiar with but which should work pretty well for stringing projects.

Here is a bracelet I made with the topaz nuggets, the coffee bean beads, the bell flowers, the toggle clasp, and one of the split rings from the box, as well as some 10/0 twist hex seed beads from my stash. This is basic right-angle weave and was pretty quick to complete. I like to wear this one with the clasp in the front as I find that side of it to be more interesting.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the October 2018 Dollar Bead Box, for reasons explained above. There were 17 items (if I counted right) so if you divide the cost of the box by the number of items, it is about $1.15 per item. The mix was eclectic this month, but that’s usually the case, and I would definitely say this was representative of what you would receive in a given month if you were to subscribe. I was in the mood for some fall colors and I found them, but there were plenty of pastels and such as well.

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! 

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What did you think of the October 2018 Dollar Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?