BeadCrate is a monthly subscription box for beading enthusiasts. Choose from “The Enthusiast” for $18.99 a month or “The Collector” for $35 a month. You can also buy a single box to see if this subscription is for you.
This is a review of “The Enthusiast,” which is $18.99/month + $5 shipping.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About BeadCrate
The Subscription Box: BeadCrate
The Cost: $18.99 a month + $5 shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
The Products: A selection of beads curated around a monthly theme (or beads that are just cool and random).
Ships to: The US (free for “The Collector,” $5 for “The Enthusiast”)
BeadCrate December 2019 “Jack Frost” Review
BeadCrate is great for stash-building if you are into seed beads and Czech glass, and you’ll also usually get some useful supplies:
This letter/information sheet accompanied the shipment.
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!
3 mm Aqua Druks (Czech glass, 50)
This month was all about lighter blues and whites, so there were a lot of aquamarine-colored glass beads. 3 mm druks (pressed rounds) are useful in beadweaving patterns and these match a lot in my stash so it will be easy to find a use for them.
3 x 5 mm Aquamarine Rullas (Czech glass, 5 g)
I can never resist a shaped bead. Rullas are 2-hole cylindrical beads and they were central to my project this month (see it below, along with a link to the pattern I modified).
9 mm Luster Sapphire Fluted Firepolished Beads (Czech glass, 4)
You'll usually get a lot of basic beads and then a smaller number of more interesting, larger, and/or more expensive beads. These would be good in some earrings; I have some hollow blown Venetian glass that I'm thinking might look great with them.
17 x 8 mm Alexandrite Flattened Ovals (Czech glass, 6)
In addition to aqua, there was a lot of alexandrite this month. These are some larger ovals that might look nice in a bracelet or simple necklace. Plus, you can coordinate with other beads in the shipment if you don't happen to have any other alexandrite glass on hand.
18 mm Matte Backlit Violet Ice Cabochon (Czech glass, 1)
I kind of wanted to use this, this month, but beading around a cabochon takes a lot of time, and the beads in the shipment this month were 8/0, and really 11/0, 11/0 Delicas, and 15/0 seed beads are better for that. This would also work as a central element in bead embroidery.
3 mm Firepolished Rounds, Mountain Glacier Hurricane (Czech glass, 50)
I used some of these in my bracelet this month. The pattern used 6/0 seed beads but I found these worked all right. (They may not work in place of 6/0 seed beads everywhere, but were fine for this particular project.)
4 mm Firepolished Rounds, Snow Shimmer (Czech glass, 50)
"Frost" implies ice as well, and the blues and whites this month went well together. 4 mm firepolished rounds are perhaps the most common size to appear in beadweaving patterns and I have quite a collection of them. These will go well in nearly every color scheme, as well, so it will be no trouble finding a match.
6 mm Firepolished Rounds, Light Sapphire AB (Czech glass, 25)
The pattern I chose for this month also called for 6 mm firepolished rounds, so I used these as well. I have a few left over if I want to make matching earrings or just to use as accent beads.
Toho 8/0 Ceylon Snowflake (Japanese glass, 2.5" tube)
This month, we received size 8/0 seed beads, which doesn't happen very often. The particular bead pattern I chose called for 6/0 seed beads but I suspected these would work for at least part of the pattern, and they did, using some of the 3 mm firepolished rounds as well. I have plenty left over but this is a useful color to have around.
2 mm Sueded Gold Crystal Rounds (Czech glass, 100)
These are so small and can be used in patterns in place of certain seed beads (8/0 for example) or as spacers between larger beads. This color is useful, as well. I used a couple of these to cover the thread attaching the clasp to the bracelet I made this month but I have a lot left.
6 x 6 mm Matte Alexandrite AB Bicones (Czech glass, 25)
Here is more alexandrite, with a different finish (i.e., matte instead of shiny). These bicones have softer edges than crystal bicones and can be used in place of 6 mm firepolished rounds in patterns if you want.
6 x 10 mm Alexandrite Twisted Barrels (Czech glass, 20)
Here is even more alexandrite. I have two pictures above and they are the exact same beads in different lighting. Alexandrite glass is named after a mineral with color-changing properties. The fun thing about the glass is it incorporates the rare earth element neodymium, which appears purple in natural light and blue in fluorescent light. So the picture in my hand is near a window with natural light, so you can see the difference. (You can find larger items made from alexandrite glass, as well -- I collect antique and vintage Bohemian glassware and I have a huge liquor decanter where the color change is quite striking.)
8 mm Light Opaque Turquoise Firepolished Rounds (Czech glass, 19)
Here are some larger beads. I have often stayed away from 8 mm and larger beads because I am small-boned and have tiny wrists (I mostly make bracelets) but one thing I want to try to do more is use larger beads. I think these might look nice with some aqua terra jasper or another type of gemstone.
This month I made a bracelet, which I modified from this free pattern (using 3 mm firepolished rounds and 8/0 seed beads in place of some of the 6/0 rounds, so I could keep it to items from this box, minus the clasp, which was something from my stash).
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There's not much to say here, as I've provided the pattern link and you can see from the images where I made modifications. This was a bit of an experiment since I didn't know if it would work with all the changes I made, but it actually turned out well.
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Here is the finished bracelet.
Verdict: I did not calculate a value for BeadCrate, as explained above in my note about prices. If you divide the cost of the box plus shipping by the number of items (I counted 13), you get about $1.84 per item. There were a lot of good basics again this month. I am always happy to see 2-hole beads, and the alexandrite glass was fun 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. BeadCrate is currently sold out of boxes, but their website says more will be available on 1/2. Your subscription would likely start with the February box. Destash items and excess inventory (and sometimes whole boxes) may occasionally be available in the BeadCrate Etsy shop.
Value Breakdown: At $23.99 for this subscription (counting shipping), you are paying about $1.84 per item.
Check out my past BeadCrate reviews and visit the Craft Subscription Box List for more great beading, craft supply, and DIY project boxes.
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What did you think of the December 2019 BeadCrate? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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