With each stamp of her pen, junior Victoria Jones comes one step closer to completing another one of her diamond paintings, working to create a vibrant mosaic of images ranging from sunsets to Disney characters.
Diamond painting is a crossover of cross-stitch and paint by number, in which a pre-printing canvas is marked with a design and covered with an adhesive layer, onto which miniature gems, called diamonds, are placed. Originating in 2010, it attracted a small audience of people who enjoy low-stress art projects, but in 2020, diamond painting became widespread on social media, leading it to become a common hobby for teens. Because of its widespread popularity on apps like TikTok and YouTube, Jones discovered diamond painting and quickly adopted it as a new hobby.
“I wanted to start diamond painting because I saw it on TikTok,” Jones said. “It was really fun at first, but I still struggled with staying consistent.”
Diamond painting can be a daunting hobby—some projects use up to 50,000 individual diamonds. For Jones, her biggest project, a 50”x70”cm landscape, took a week to finish, spending a majority of her time after school focusing on the project.
Along with the time commitment, diamond paintings can vary in prices. While smaller pieces can cost from $5-$10, the larger ones can cost up to $75. Jones’ most expensive piece costed $37.
While such projects may seem like a large commitment in both time and money, for Jones, it is a way to destress.
“When I do it, I’m not really thinking about anything else. I can just put on music or a podcast, and all I’m thinking about is finishing my picture,” Jones said.
Additionally, diamond painting has offered an outlet for Jones to connect with others on social media who share her passion. Following creators who specialize in diamond painting, Jones can find inspiration from others who work on similar projects.
“There’s not much of a widespread community for diamond painting on social media, but I can still find people who also do it,” Jones said. “I love knowing that there’s other people out there who enjoy the same thing as me, it makes me feel more accomplished when I finish a piece.”
While social media platforms share videos of extensive and elaborate pictures, diamond painting still remains a relatively unknown and unpracticed hobby by many.
“I think it’s more uncommon because not many people want to take the time to do it,” Jones said. “When I tell people, they tell me I must have a lot of time because of how long it takes.”
Despite this, Jones continues to pursue diamond painting, building up to bigger, more time consuming projects, and even commission pictures for other people.
“I really want to work to bigger and better pieces. I can’t imagine not having diamond painting as a hobby, it’s been something I enjoy for so long.”
