Diamond Art Painting is a relatively new craft but fast exploding in popularity. There are sellers from all over the world offering diamond art kits — which can make it hard to know where to buy.
Choosing the right kit isn’t only a matter of money well spent. Completing a diamond painting takes several hours, depending on the size and whether it’s full or partial drill (as we explain below). You don’t want to spend that time only to be disappointed.
Take it from this customer, who discovered Diamond Art Club (DAC) after other, less than satisfying experiences:
“… too many people are spoiled by AliExpress and the lower quality canvases that sell cheaply. Once I started doing the canvases from DAC I questioned why I should waste time, and money, buying these canvases from some of these other AliExpress stores and being disappointed 90% of the time. You most definitely get what you pay for, both good and bad.”
Let’s explore exactly what it means to get what you pay for in diamond art.
THE TOP PROBLEMS WITH DIAMOND ART KITS
What do you get when you buy low quality diamond art kits? There are a handful of consistent problems with cheap diamond painting brands.
Partial-drill disappointments: Customers often don’t realize that a low-priced diamond art painting is only partial drill, a much cheaper form of diamond art.
Poor quality diamonds: Cheap diamond art kits are typically low cost because the rhinestones are low quality. The diamond colors don’t match the picture, aren’t vibrant or tasteful. Sometimes the kit is missing diamonds, or the diamonds are defective.
Cheap-looking canvas: Diamond art kit sellers often cut costs in producing the canvas. This is a real problem in a partial drill kit when the exposed canvas looks cheap/low-resolution. Even in a full drill kit, canvas quality matters because a cheap fabric won’t smooth out. And without a smooth canvas, the diamonds won’t stay in place. Not to mention, no one wants a wrinkled canvas on their wall!
Glue that doesn’t stick: Low-end diamond art kits come with glue sometimes described as “oily”. It’s frustrating to use because the diamonds don’t easily adhere to the canvas or stay put.
Poor instructions: Buyers of cheap diamond art kits often say the instructions are missing, poor or not in readable English. Sometimes the legend with color codes is inaccurate, so you can’t match the diamonds to the canvas.
The canvas size isn’t as advertised: Many buyers are surprised that the canvas they receive isn’t as large as what’s depicted online. Amazing, but common with cheaper diamond art kits!
Because of these issues, cheap diamond art kits can be frustrating or impossible to complete. Worse, the finished product can look nothing like the advertised image!
Let’s look more closely at each of these Diamond Artproblems by going straight to Amazon.com to get the unfiltered scoop from real buyers.
Why Amazon? While AliExpress is another mass seller, often the reviews there are international and even with Google translation, hard to understand. If you can’t judge a diamond art kit by its reviews, buyer beware!
PARTIAL DRILL DIAMOND ART — LESS EXPENSIVE, BUT FAR LESS BEAUTIFUL
Full drill diamond art paintings are designed to be covered with diamonds from edge to edge. Partial drill paintings use diamonds as accents on parts of the printed canvas.
If you know you’re buying a partial drill painting, you may not be disappointed. The problem is that many buyers seem unaware. They don’t realize the kit advertised at a lower cost is cheaper because they’re getting a fraction of the diamonds.
Take this buyer, for example, who says the diamond kit purchased was advertised as having gems that cover the whole picture.
