StitchboardMod message #1
Darice Jewelry Designer Bead Storage System
July 28, 2009 at 1:14:11 PM
 

I can't help but be in love with my Darice Jewelry Designer Bead Storage System (the 24 container model).

This unit is smartly designed, looks incredible and is wonderfully purposeful.

Prior to this, I was using a product designed for scrapbooking.  The product consisted of small metal containers and a hinged metal case to hold them.

The problem was that the case was poorly designed for the purpose of bead storage.  The caps did not screw on the containers; they merely sat on them.  I lived in fear of dropping the case, having it open up and spilling my beads all over the floor.  I had visions of bringing my case outside, only to have it land with my beautiful beads strewn all over, impossible to find in the grass.

Another disadvantage was the hinged case would often catch on my thread, where the hinge mechanism would shear my thread, sometimes leaving it unusable.

No such worries with Darice's fine product.

The case is clear plastic.  The size I found best for beading was the 24-container case.  This consists of 24 clear screw-top containers.  While the metal containers would often turn up dented and difficult to pull open upon first tearing open the package and opening the box, the Darice hard containers are consistently perfect and look sleek.  Without opening the case, I can see my beads at a glance, to know if I have the right ones.  For someone who wants to label the boxes, I'd suggest using a label maker or some stickers.

The only criticism I have - and it's a minor one - is about the case.  While I prefer not to have a hinged case, I'd like to see something that closes a bit more firmly/securely.  The one small problem is that if you happen to drop this case, you could end up playing a variation of 52 pickup -- 24 pickup, in this instance.  The beads won't go anywhere, the well-thought-out result of the ingenious screw-top design, but at the same time, it would be great not to have to scramble to pick them up at all.

There is a smaller container, also made by Darice, which I cannot review, as I didn't purchase it.  The next size down is at least twice the depth of the 24-container case and I feel it would be unsuited to my personal needs, since I do most of my work with small seed beads.  Perhaps sometime in the future, I'll find a use for such a product, but for now, I'm perfectly happy with the 24-container case.  I like to take it on the road, and with 24 possible colors per case, there�s plenty of room to carry beads for more than one project at a time.