BeadCrate is a monthly subscription box for beading enthusiasts. They offer “The Enthusiast” for $18.99 a month + $5 shipping and “The Collector” for $35 a month + free shipping. 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 November 2020 Review
BeadCrate is great for stash-building if you are into seed beads and Czech glass, and you’ll also often get some useful supplies:
This letter/information sheet accompanied the shipment. This month's theme is "Cozy."
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.
On to the items:
4x6mm Lumi Amethyst Potatoes (Czech Glass, 20)
This is a shape I don’t have much of. Well, I have some other shapes called “potato” but they’re different from this. I think sometimes the shapes aren’t well-described by the manufacturer, or use words that don’t translate well into English. Anyway, these would be nice as spacers in a strung design; I don’t see much call for this shape in beadweaving patterns but there are still plenty of possibilities.
4mm Topaz Druks (Czech Glass, 50)
I used some of these in a bracelet this month. You can see what I did below. They were somewhat larger than the other beads I used, which added some interesting dimensionality to the piece. In general, druks are pretty handy in patterns.
6x9mm Lumi Amethyst Side Drilled Tears (Czech Glass, 20)
These are pretty. They will be good in earrings where I want to have a single drop at the bottom of each, or at the bottom of pendants. I have a lot in my collection that matches this color, too.
9mm Frosted Montana AB Trillium Flowers (Czech Glass, 20)
I have a lot of flower beads but this is a new shape for me, which is always fun. Montana is a dark blue color but it looks almost black when it’s frosted. I think these will work best in a strung design like a bracelet or necklace (or matching set).
Toho 8/0 Transparent Light Hyacinth (Japanese Glass, 10g)
I used almost all of these this month because I wanted to do some peyote stitch. Peyote is faster with 8/0 beads than 11/0 beads, that’s for sure. You can see what I did below.
Tierracast Oxidized Brass Plate 3 Hole Bar (USA Pewter, 2)
You’ll often get some metal accents. This month it was two items from Tierracast. (I mean these two spacers and something else.) I haven’t used these yet but they will be nice as spacer bars in a bracelet or something like that. A lot of times I will learn about an item in Bead Crate and then go buy more. Tierracast makes a lot of items so this is a good way to see individual findings from a product line.
19x14mm Table Cut Opaque Red/Bronze Ovals (Czech Glass, 2)
There are usually a couple of bigger beads in Bead Crate. Sometimes I make earrings out of them, which is probably what I will do with these. I have a lot in my stash that will match them, too.
3mm Firepolished Dark Topaz (Czech Glass, 50)
I used some of these in my bracelet as well. You won’t see quite the distortion with these as with the 4mm druks but they still added some nice texture.
3.5mm Emerald BB Rondelles (Czech Glass, 200)
I have never heard these referred to as BB rondelles before, but why not? Anyway, I used them in my bracelet too; they are a similar width to the 8/0 seed beads. And I have plenty left over for other projects.
4x2mm Luster Iris Cobalt Teacups (Czech Glass, 4g)
You’ll usually receive one item that I’d classify as a “shaped” bead each month (above and beyond your standard druks, firepolished rounds, seed beads, large Czech glass beads, and the like) and this month it is these teacup beads. There are a lot of patterns out there for these so they will be easy to use.
4mm Firepolished Opaque Luster Mix (Czech Glass, 50)
Here are some more firepolished beads, this time in a mix. I haven’t used them yet but they will probably be put into some earrings or a memory wire bracelet or something of that nature. I need some more practice with bead mixes as I’m never sure what to do with them (but I like the idea of the challenge).
6mm Firepolished Sueded Gold Medium Amethyst (Czech Glass, 25)
Here are some larger firepolished rounds. I really like the sueded gold finish. These will be great with some other purples and maybe some dark gray and cream accent beads. I kind of have an idea in my head now but am unsure if I will use a purchased pattern or come up with something on my own.
Tierracast Oxidized Brass Plate Jardin Button (USA Pewter, 1)
Here is our other Tierracast item. I used this as a clasp in my bracelet this month.
Here is the bracelet I made. It is just flat, odd-count peyote, with some of the rondelles, 3mm firepolished rounds, or druks every couple of rows. I almost ran out of seed beads making a short-ish bracelet (I have tiny wrists for an adult) so if you want to go longer than 5.5 or 6 inches you might have to do 7 across instead of 9 across like I did. I made a seed bead loop to hook around the button for the clasp.
1 of 7
Here is the finished bracelet:
1 of 3
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. I wasn't sure when I started how my piece would turn out this month but I kind of like it. It reminds me of a sweater or something, which I suppose fits with the "cozy" theme. I really like Czech glass so I am usually happy with this subscription, and this month is no exception.
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? Your subscription would likely start with the December or possibly the January 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 November 2020 BeadCrate? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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