Dollar Bead Box Subscription Review – June 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 June 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.

6mm Czech Glass Pearl in Coral (25)

We’ve been getting a lot of Czech glass pearls in two specific colors (this is one of them) in the past few shipments. This is handy if you want to use them all together in the same item (for example, a graduated right-angle weave piece, which is probably what I’ll end up doing).

6mm Czech Glass Druk in Amethyst (34)

This is a good, basic bead to have around. Some patterns call for 6mm rounds, and the purple goes well with the color palette I’ve been focusing on the past few years.

8 x 23mm Pewter Banjo, Antique Brass (2)

We received some banjo charms last month, too, in a different color. These are oddly specific. If I ever feel the need to make a music-themed charm bracelet (perhaps as a gift for a music lover?), these will fit right in. They are small and lightweight and would also work for earrings.

10-12mm Baroque Pearl (1)

At first, I saw “baroque pearl” on the item list and couldn’t figure out where it was. But if you look at this closely (may be hard to see in the photo), it is not perfectly smooth (although it is reasonably close). I feel like I could use this almost by itself in a piece of minimalist jewelry, perhaps with some silver chain.

14mm Floral Bead Cap, Antique Silver (2)

These are pretty big. However, I’ve recently been collecting some gemstone beads, including some super large rounds, and I’m sure I will find something in my collection that is the right size for these.

5mm Czech Glass Druk in Jet (24)

Black beads are always useful. Patterns don’t often call for 5mm rounds but they would be great as spacers or in a stitch like right-angle weave.

8 x 15mm Pewter Drop, Antique Brass (2)

I have a couple of earring patterns that have you using a briolette or drop at the bottom of a beadwoven element and I’m thinking these could substitute nicely for a glass bead in that position to add a little variety.

18 x 24mm Oval Carnelian Pendant (1)

This is unusual. The drill hole is across the top, but also goes from front to back. I don’t think I’ve seen this kind of drill hole before but I think I could make something neat if I bought several more pendants with a similar drill hole style. (For me, this is more of a necklace size.)

3 x 7mm Oval Link Chain, Antique Copper (1 foot)

Chain is always appreciated, especially delicate chain (lately every time I try to pull something out of my chain container, it is vintage and super chunky). I’m not sure how I will use this yet, but it is definitely handy to have around, and I have a lot of matching findings.

3 x 4mm Chinese Crystal Rondelle in Turquoise with Rainbow Luster (100)

We used to get a ton of Chinese crystal in Dollar Bead Box and then it slowed down for a while. I was looking to use some small beads in my necklace this month and these jumped out at me as I was going through the box contents. You can see what I did with them below.

15-16mm Dyed Agate Cross (1)

This is a bit small to be a pendant on a necklace, though you could dangle it off a bracelet in some way. It’s not overtly religious because all the arms are of equal length. (This is a good time to note that you may sometimes receive a religious-themed item, like a Buddha head charm or a cross in this subscription.)

15mm Flat Fishhook Ear Wires, Silver Plated (3 pairs)

You’ll get some findings in this subscription but they won’t always be the same color. These have a bright silver finish. I haven’t used them yet because I went with antique brass this month due to an item from the box you haven’t seen yet, but they seem to be pretty nice and they are handy to have around.

5mm Czech Firepolished Rounds in Crystal Tangerine (25)

This is a somewhat unusual size – most of the time, Czech rounds can be found in 4mm and 6mm but 5mm is somewhat rare. I like the orange bits. As it happens, I have a ton of orange vintage beads and I think these coordinate well with other items in my stash.

5mm Czech Glass Flower Spacer in Silver (35)

These are also sometimes called “forget-me-not” beads and they can be used as spacers or there are some patterns that call for them. Metallic finishes are versatile, too, and can work with lots of different bead colors.

8 x 12mm Czech Glass Leaf in Travertine with Copper Wash (6)

Travertine is a popular finish with this subscription box but that is fine by me because I like it! These make me think of fall, though, because of the dark colors. I may hang on to them and incorporate them into a Halloween design.

4mm Czech Glass Pearl in Mint Tea (42)

Here is another color of glass pearl we’ve received a lot of in different sizes. This fits pretty well into my stash, also, and 4mm is a great size for patterns as it is quite common.

12 x 14mm Czech Glass Pillow in Turquoise (2)

I’ve received these in several other colors in past Dollar Bead Boxes. I think I could string them all together to make a simple bracelet (they’re a good size to be bracelet beads).

16 x 26mm Antique Brass Rectangle (1)

Many months, there is one item that captures my imagination, and this month it was this rectangle. This does not have any drill holes, it’s just an open frame. I used it in a necklace, which you can see below. (I would not be sad to see more items like this in a future box.)

22-24mm Freshwater Stick Pearl (2)

I also liked these quite a bit. I managed to work them into my necklace this month. I like the natural asymmetry and interesting surface features.

8mm Swarovski Bicone in Indian Sapphire AB (2)

You’ll get a Swarovski bead or two most months with this subscription. The bicone is a classic style and one option for these is earrings since there are two of them. Or you could just order more and make something more complicated!

Here is a necklace I made with the brass rectangle, the Chinese crystal, the stick pearls, and some chain and wire I had in my stash.

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!

Verdict: I did not calculate a value for the June 2019 Dollar Bead Box, for reasons explained above. There were 20 items so if you divide the cost of the box by the number of items, it is about $0.98 per item. I knew right away I wanted to use the brass rectangle but I feel like there are still a lot of design possibilities left. Chain and earring findings are always welcome and I’m a huge fan of pretty much all Czech glass, and the rest of the items were quite varied. I’d say this was a fairly representative box for Dollar Bead Box, although there were a few more items than usual.

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 $0.98 per item.

Check out all of our Dollar Bead Box reviews and our best Craft Subscription Boxes! 

Keep track of your subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What did you think of the June 2019 Dollar Bead Box? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?