The Art of Handmade
Generate Ideas
Sometimes you’ll have an idea of what you’d like your frames to be like, sometimes you’ll find something in our store that we’ll use a guide or inspiration for your custom frames. We take detailed measurements and take your picture to establish the frame dimensions.
Explore Materials
We use a material called acetate to make our frames. We use the best kind of acetate — cellulose acetate — made from natural cotton fibres. It is easy to adjust, feels soft on the face (not stiff like an injection mold frame), has a nice lustre and is easy to buff and polish when needed. The best acetate comes from Italy. If you are looking for something more exotic, we can also craft a frame using genuine horn.
Prototypes
We begin to design your frames.
Sometimes, minor changes are made from the initial sketch to accommodate things like: hinge size, prescription and lens thickness. We decide what hinges we’re going to use and what the temples will look like. We create a computerized drawing, then mock up a sample so you can see the dimensions and shape and give us any final comments or changes.
Refine the Design
Once approved – we start to create your frames. The sketch of the front and temples gets transferred onto the acetate piece and cut out of the acetate you’ve chosen.
File and Shape
The most time consuming part of the frame making is filing and sanding. Symmetry is essential. This process requires great patience and skill. Any detail work is done in this step as well.
Assemble
Now we give your frames an initial polish and add the hinges. We add the necessary engravings, assemble and adjust the frame. We check the measurements and make sure everything looks perfect. Now you can see the finished frame and we check the fit on your head and face. We make any necessary adjustments and take the measurements for the lenses.
Polish and Install Lenses
Your lenses are then ordered and installed. A final polish is done on the frame and a last quality control check is done. You now have a pair of unique custom frames, designed and built entirely for you!
