Abstract: A process for preparing embossed fine particulate thin metal flakes having high levels of brightness and color intensity. The process comprises forming a release coat on a flexible polymeric carrier film, embossing the release coat with a diffraction grating pattern that is monoruled at an angle above 45°, vacuum metalizing the embossed release surface with a highly reflective metal such as aluminum, and solubilizing the metalized release coat in a solvent for removing the metal from the carrier to form embossed metal flakes that replicate the embossment pattern. The flakes are recovered from the solution containing the solvent and release coat polymer while avoiding high shear, particle sizing or other application of energy that would excessively break up the flakes, so that the D50 particle size of the flakes is maintained at or above 75 microns.