DMC Grande Diamante Thread Review

Using this new thread from DMC brought back memories, and not good ones. It used to be that metallic threads were all like this — very stiff. As you stitched needlepoint with them, you had to be quite careful. The stiff thread would kink, leaving unslightly bumps and snagged stitches on your needlepoint.

I confess I had gotten so used to today’s softer and more flexible metallics that I did not stitch with this thread carefully enough.

The Thread

Diamant is an all metallic thread that comes on spools in two sizes. It’s made in Japan and hs only recently become available trough DMC in the US.

• Diamant comes in fourteen colors and is made from a blend of polyester and Vicose. It is single-stranded and 3-ply. A spool has 35 meters on it. It is similar in thickness to two strands of floss.
• Grande Diamant comes in six colors (three silver, two gold, and one silver/gold mix), Two of the colors are 100% polyester and the other two are polyester/vicose blends. There are 20 meters on a spool. It is a single-strand thread with 6 plies. It is about the same thickness as Kreinik #8.

The threads comes on spools that secure with a notch, like sewing thread. When you buy it, the thread end is secured under the DMC end label. An easily removeable label is wrapped around the spool.

On the Diamant page there are free patterns. Most are for free embroidery but two are cross stitch patterns.

When I pulled a stitching length off the spool, it curled. It was easy to stretch gently and remove these. Although sometimes the thread ends came untwisted, I could easily thread my needle with a needle threader. In terms of stiffness it reminded me of Kreink cords (C suffix).

Although the colors looked very different on the spools when stitched the color differences were far more subtle. The lines at the center of the flowere were stitched in dark gold. It barely shows up against the silver in real life, which is the lightest shade of this.

Better Uses

This thread is best used for stitching for small areas, not for blocks of stitching. Because of the stiffness, don’t try fancy stitches or overstitching.

In needlepoint, probably the best use of Grande Diamant is for couching. By sitting on top of the canvas, there will be less wear on the thread. Couch it down with the matching color of Diamant. I will be trying this soon, watch for my results.

Tips for Success

Stitch slowly. After every stitch or two rub you finger over the stitching to catch loops. As soon as you find one, unstitch to that point, pull the loose stitch taut and continue stitching.

Don’t mix colors of this thread for shading, the range in not wide enough to do this.