Darn Good Beads of the Month is a monthly subscription for jewelry makers from Darn Good Yarn. (You don’t have to be able to knit or crochet for this subscription!) Every month you’ll receive materials to complete a quick beading project. You will need some basic tools of your own (pliers, crimping pliers, glue) but they provide all the findings, beads, and stringing materials!
In addition to their Bead of the Month Club, Darn Good Yarn also offers a Yarn of the Month Club, Fabric of the Month Club, and Sock of the Month Club.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Darn Good Beads of the Month
The Subscription Box: Darn Good Beads of the Month
The Cost: $20/month plus shipping
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 15% off your first order when you sign up for the newsletter. No coupon needed - just use this link.
The Products: Materials and instructions to complete one beading/jewelry-making project.
Ships to: The continental U.S. for $4; Hawaii, Alaska, U.S. territories, and international for $13
Darn Good Beads of the Month Earth and Fire Beaded Necklace Review
I’ve been receiving Darn Good Beads of the Month for quite a while now. I expect to get a simple project with instructions that will be easy to complete in under an hour or two, but the projects have been pretty varied.
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Every box comes with an instruction booklet.
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Earth and Fire Beaded Necklace
This was a really basic wire working project. I actually think it was a great introduction to wire working and I will probably make a few more of these using materials from my stash as a way to get more practice with wire working, which I do not consider myself to be good at.
Instructions: I do think I would change the instructions to include diagrams because that tiny wall of text is honestly quite difficult for me to read. I ended up with my pendant not looking exactly like what was pictured on the box because I missed the part about cutting the second loop of thick wire down to a smaller size. I still like how it turned out, though. Anyway, you are supposed to bend the wires after cutting them, and form loops at the end that will eventually hook to jump rings. Then you use the thinner wire to hold the beads to the thicker wires and connect everything at the end with jump rings, including a chain and a clasp.
Materials: Minor quibble, but they refer to “gold” wire. This is clearly brass and they should either call it brass or just refer to it as wire. (Misidentification of materials is a pet peeve of mine and while I know they were referring to the color, gold is an actual substance used in jewelry making and I wouldn’t want anyone thinking they were making something out of real gold when they weren’t.)
Tips for success: Cutting the thicker wire is quite difficult. Don’t even bother with your standard jewelry wire cutters as they won’t work well. If you have access to a toolbox with heavy-duty wire cutters, use those, or if you think you might work with wire in the future, get a pair of industrial-strength ones. These are the ones I have that are pictured in the review, but they are not currently available. However, if you visit the product page, you can see some of the specifications that would guide you towards a similar product. You may want to file the ends down after you cut the wire unless you are lucky enough to have flush cutters that work on thicker wire.
Other supplies needed: You will want two pairs of pliers for opening and closing the jump rings and some smaller cutters for cutting the chain and the thin wire. You may also want a ruler and some cylindrical objects to serve as mandrels for forming the thicker wire into curves (pens, markers, round nail polish bottles, spice jars, things like that – you don’t need to buy anything). I chose round nose pliers for forming the end loops in the thick wire, and that worked until most of the curve was formed, but then I had to use some chain nose pliers to get a better grip on the end to complete the loop. Memory wire bending pliers may be another option as they are pretty good with a really stiff wire. You also may not want to use the whole chain; in the picture below, a good deal of it is draped over the back of the necklace model. I will probably go back and make this shorter.
Here is the finished necklace:
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Verdict: I did not calculate a value for Darn Good Beads of the Month because the materials were unbranded and not labeled. This was one of my favorite boxes from Darn Good Beads since I’ve been reviewing this subscription. I really do want to do more wire work but rarely have the patience for complicated projects, so something that can be completed in under 30 minutes is perfect. I also just need practice manipulating wire and this is a great project for that. I am most likely going to make a whole bunch more of these necklaces with stones and wire from my stash to get more practice, and then branch out from there into other shapes as I build complexity into the projects.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you’ll most likely receive the May box. More from Darn Good Beads:
If you place your order by the 1st, then your box will ship on the 20th (or the next business day during weekends). If you place your order after the 1st, then your box will ship the next month.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 15% off your first order when you sign up for the newsletter. No coupon needed - just use this link.
Check out my past reviews of Darn Good Beads of the Month and see 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 Earth and Fire Beaded Necklace from Darn Good Beads of the Month? Do you subscribe to any beading or craft boxes?
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