Dollar Bead Box Subscription Review – November 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 November 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. 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!

6mm Czech Glass Lucerna Bicone in 2-Tone Aqua Peridot (25)

I used most of these to make a bracelet, then later realized I made a very similar bracelet (with different colored beads, but the same technique) last month. Oh well. Simple right-angle weave is a good way to use the types and numbers of beads we get from this subscription and you can really come up with a lot of variations. Anyway, you’ll get a few strands of Czech glass in every box and the 2-tone effect on these is pretty subtle.

6 x 8 mm Czech Glass Corrugated Rondelle in Olive Rainbow Iris (32)

I also used a lot of these in my bracelet. When I looked at everything from the box together, I really thought the blues and greens would look good together, and I wanted to see how well I could do right-angle weave with very differently-shaped beads.

8 x 10 mm Czech Glass Tulip in Yellow Light Aqua (25)

I am starting to see these tulip beads more often. I have to admit, yellow and aqua is a strange color combination, but now that I have it in my head, I can see some color schemes where these beads would totally work.

4 x 7 mm Vintage German Glass Rice Bead, Multi-Color (25)

I love getting vintage beads of pretty much any kind. I’d classify these as NOS (“new old stock,” or older beads that were probably sitting in a warehouse or bead store somewhere and are now being sold for the first time) because they are in really good condition.

3 x 7 mm Czech Glass Dagger in Transparent Tanzanite (100)

Of course, I love shaped beads of all kinds, and these are a color that will work well with my collection. I’m pretty sure I bought some rivoli stones in a similar color recently.

6mm Czech Glass Druk in Medium Topaz (30)

This is a pretty standard bead shape and potentially excellent for use in patterns. You could either go for something more neutral or match this with warm reds, oranges, and golds.

0.7 x 39mm Headpins in Antique Copper (100)

These are definitely useful. I make a lot of charm-style bracelets and I always need more headpins for those. I have plenty of findings in this metal finish, too.

10-12mm Czech Glass Pillow, Crystal (3)

I am not sure how to use these, but I do like them. They have just such a smooth surface and there is something about the transparency here that appeals to me (especially since they’re rather large – they look like water sitting on a surface, almost).

10-12mm Handmade Chinese Lampwork (2)

I’m always up for lampwork beads. I used the green one in my bracelet this month and I will probably use the red one in a similar bracelet at some point. Adding one or two accent beads like this is a great way to add a bit of length if you run out of beads (kind of like I did with the bicones up above).

13 x 22mm Czech Glass Bowtie in Hot Ice (1)

I don’t know what I am going to do with this bead, but I can’t stop looking at it. I really, really like the finish. A lot. I can just hold it under a light and tilt it different directions and stare at it for a while. I immediately went looking for other “hot ice” finish beads and didn’t find any, but I hope we will be seeing some in bead stores soon because I just really think this is neat.

6 x 7mm Czech Glass Barrel, Green/Red Multicolor (3)

These remind me of watermelon. I will probably use them in a simple bracelet spaced apart by some chain. I make a lot of bracelets like that, but I do wear bracelets pretty often, as well, so it’s OK!

Swarovski 8mm Graphic Cube, Siam (1)

You’ll often get a little bit of Swarovski crystal with this subscription. What I like about getting one or two pieces is that I can see the shapes and colors and finishes close-up. Although I do love looking through the Fire Mountain Gems catalog, there is no substitute for having my hands on something, especially when it’s an expensive bead and I’m trying to decide whether or not to purchase more.

6 x 16mm Brass Cord Ends, Silver-Plated (4)

I would probably call these “ribbon crimp ends” instead of just cord ends (maybe it is just me but I tend to think of “cord ends” as rounded and for things like leather cord or kumihimo braids). At any rate, I’ll keep them handy for the next time I made a shaped bead pendant and need to turn it into a necklace – I just clamp these down (I close them with flat-nose pliers) on a piece of decorative ribbon, add a clasp, and I am good to go.

18mm Pewter Celtic Cross (1)

You’ll get a lot of one-off charms and pendants with this subscription. Occasionally they might be construed as having religious significance, as with this one, but I do like to keep a supply of items of this sort to use in handmade jewelry gifts for recipients who would find the religious symbols meaningful.

12mm Pewter Toggle Clasp, Antique Copper Plated (1)

I probably would’ve gone with silvertone findings for my bracelet this month, except that a clasp came in this box. So I went with antique copper instead, and I used this clasp, which you can see below.

Swarovski 4mm Xilion Rose SS16 Crystal Metallic Blue Foiled Flatbacks (14)

I think this may be the first time we have received flatback crystals. (As far as I can tell, these are the “no hotfix” type.) I’ve recently been buying flatback crystals for a couple of different reasons and these will fit nicely into my collection.

Here is a bracelet I made with some of this month’s beads and the clasp.

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the November 2018 Dollar Bead Box, for reasons explained above. There were 16 items so if you divide the cost of the box by the number of items, it is about $1.22 per item. I appreciate the chance to see some Swarovski items close-up, I’m still obsessed with the “hot ice” bead, and I got some good basics for my collection. I’d say this was a representative month for Dollar Bead Box.

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 $1.22 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 November 2018 Dollar Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?