Color through Gold Kreinik – Product Review

Article updated January 22, 2021.
Lovely colors glinting through a layer of gold, that’s the way I think of the 5800 series of colors. The first four, pictured above, were introduced by Kreinik in 2014. The four colors mix gold with red, olive, violet, or apricot and are available in several sizes and 1/16″ ribbon.

If you have used the ‘Candy Glass’ colors, think of those but with gold instead of iridescent. The result is less sparkly but more colorful.

They will be a real asset to geometric and non-realistic pieces, bringing metallic into the piece and adding texture while carrying the color through. I used it this way in one test project along with two overdyed pearl cottons, one solid and one multi-color. Because the base color of the Kreinik matched one of the accents in the multi-color pearl, it created a nice accent. Being the only metallic in the piece, it also helped to bring these forward.

The options are more limited when stitching realistic pieces. I did find a fantastic use for the apricot color. Although I often use yellows for lit windows at night, I’m often disappointed because candles and home lighting have a warmer, more orange color. Because the base and metallic are similar in color and value, they don’t read as separate, but unite to create a lovely warm glow. It’s subtle and realistic.

Because the base colors are from the Gourmet Colors (5500 line), you can mix them with those colors and with the Candy Glass colors in a single piece. The gold does affect the base, making it look more matte and warming up the color.

That matte feeling is great when you want this combination of gold with matte. Because Kreinik threads are braided, the strands will not separate. That makes them easy to use.

I keep thinking about other combinations of metallic with colors I’d like to see: blue with iridescent for wintry night skies, or gold with yellow for the sun. Two newer colors are like this: 5803 (blue with silver) and 5804 (gold with red and orange).