Dollar Bead Box Subscription Review – February 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 February 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 Blue Luster (36)

I hoard 4mm rounds for use in patterns. This isn’t a color I have a ton of in my stash, but that makes it useful for if I want to follow a pattern with beads I bought on a whim or received in a subscription box (as opposed to beads I added to my collection because they match my usual color palette).

16mm Antique Brass Toggle (1)

You’ll usually get a clasp or two with Dollar Bead Box. I didn’t make anything that uses a clasp this month, but these are super handy to have around if you are looking to finish off a necklace or heavier bracelet and didn’t think ahead about the clasp.

16 x 24mm 3-Strand Connector Antique Copper (2)

There are a lot of different ways these can be used, but I tried them in earrings this month. I just made up an idea but I think it worked and now I am interested in exploring that idea a bit further. (See the earrings in a photo below.)

4mm Czech Glass Druk Smoky Topaz (36)

Ah, more 4mm rounds. I used most of these in some earrings with the copper connectors but I still have a few left. (This subscription always sends at least a few strands of Czech glass.)

22 x 32mm Antique Silver Elephant Pendant

This guy definitely needs a chaton or something glued into the eye before being used. I have to figure out where my chatons are and see if I have one in this size, or I also have some tiny cut semiprecious stones that may work. I have some other elephant beads and findings that could maybe go with this into a themed necklace.

4mm Czech Glass English Cut Matte Silver (25)

I’ve been into English cut beads lately, mostly because they offer just a little bit of a different shape and faceting pattern compared to either druks or fire polished rounds of the same size. These are a great color that will work well with a lot of different other colors in my stash.

5mm Czech Glass Flower Spacer Matte Purple Luster (35)

These are often called “forget-me-not” beads and I have quite a few, though none in this fun purple. This color will go great with the color palette of seed beads I’ve been collecting and I’m sure these will be used to complete a pattern soon.

6mm Czech Firepolished Rounds Matte Silver (20)

It is always nice when you get coordinating strands of beads and this month, these match the English cut rounds very well. I don’t have a pattern in mind right now but I may go looking on Etsy for one later. This silver would look nice with any number of other colors.

13 x 15mm Pewter Hamsa Antique Copper Plated (2)

You’ll usually get a few charms or findings with Dollar Bead Box. These hamsa elements can be strung with a bead in the center hole if you want; there are really quite a few possibilities. I have these in a few colors now and may do a mixed-metal piece with all of them together.

18 x 26mm Hand-Painted Porcelain Beige with Khaki (1)

This has a bit of the look of a mineral but it is porcelain. I think it could make a good, simple necklace just strung with some gemstone rounds in a khaki or beige color (I have a lot of possibilities).

14 x 20mm Antique Brass Connector (2)

I always like receiving connectors like this, not sure why, but I think it is because there are so many design possibilities. You can bead on top of them or use them as links or connectors. This month, I made these into a pair of earrings.

8 x 14mm Czech Glass Owl 3-Color Combination (9)

I’ve been seeing a lot of these owls lately and I decided it was time to make something with them. I used some of the turquoise colored ones in earrings with the brass connectors (see them below).

18mm Pewter Resin Blank Silver-Plated (1)

You’ll occasionally receive resin blanks in Dollar Bead Box. I do have some resin but not a good workspace for mixing it, so I will hang on to this for now. An alternative, since this is relatively shallow, is to use a low heat enamel product or even nail polish to fill in the center, or you could glue an appropriately sized/shaped cabochon in there.

12mm Swarovski Rivoli Aquamarine Volcano (1)

I love rivolis and need to expand my collection of the 12mm ones, so I was happy to see this. I also love the volcano finish/color (which I recently discovered in Czech glass beads and stocked up on). I now have a lot in my collection that will coordinate with this an I am excited to find just the right pattern to use it in.

16-18mm Magnesite Skull Turquoise Colored (1)

One time I bought a random assortment of 10 strands of turquoise-colored magnesite from Fire Mountain and ended up with a whole strand of these guys. I haven’t done anything with them yet, but I found some necklaces on Etsy where they are wearing crowns or bows and I think I am going to have to try something like that.

8mm Silver Plated Split Ring (100)

Split rings are just a good basic supply to have around and, thanks to Dollar Bead Box, I have them in a variety of colors and sizes. One thing I like to do is use them instead of jump rings with beadwoven work, for the purpose of attaching clasps, because there’s no gap for the stringing material to slide through.

28mm Czech Glass Tabular Circle with Peacock Finish (1)

This is quite large. I’m thinking of making some kind of wire cuff using this as a centerpiece; I think it could hold its own in a bold statement piece like that (though I probably need to practice my wire wrapping first…).

Here are some earrings I made using the 3-strand connectors and the smoky topaz druks. (I might try something like this again but perhaps not this color combination – I was just trying to use several items from this month’s box.)

And here are some earrings I made using the brass connectors and a couple of the owls. (The hooks are niobium, which is why they don’t match the brass exactly, although they are hypoallergenic.)

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the February 2019 Dollar Bead Box, for reasons explained above. There were 17 items so if you divide the cost of the box by the number of items, it is about $1.15 per item. There were some interesting and unusual items this month, which I can always count on when it comes to Dollar Bead Box, but also some great, stash-building basics.

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 February 2019 Dollar Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?