Darn Good Beads of the Month Reviews

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.

I did not calculate a value for Darn Good Beads of the Month because the materials were unbranded and not labeled. Overall this was an easy project to complete but I knew from past months to use different crimp covers. The seed beads were not the highest quality and probably come from China (or possibly India; the most uniform ones come from Japan and these were not Japanese) as there were a few without holes. However, that is actually OK for stringing projects where you want an organic look. You really only need super uniform seed beads for beadweaving where uneven sizes can warp your work. In stringing projects the uneven sizes can add to the look, and I think they do that here. I would’ve been quite frustrated if I’d tried to use the provided crimp covers, and I do wish the instructions had mentioned the same items that were provided and had a slightly lengthier tool list, but hopefully some of what I’ve said here will make this easier for subscribers to complete. I do like the look of the project and am thinking of making some similar ones to use up some of my massive collection of seed beads.

I think this was a good project. However, I think it would have benefited from giving the exact materials and instructions to a handful of people unfamiliar with the project and having them try to complete it, because I think some questions or issues could have been dealt with in terms of order of assembly, leading to a less frustrating experience. (I almost gave up at one point, until I had the idea to redo the wire.) Although the projects in this subscription are generally ones that ought to be suitable for beginners, sometimes you need to substitute a different item from your stash or come up with a fix, and several years of beading experience definitely come in handy there.