Vintage Spectacles - What You Need To Know
Posted: Saturday, January 17, 2009
by Debbie Mendoza
sleek 'n Chic Vintage Lingerie
Fashion in spectacles frames change every year, although you need to look more long-term to spot this. Tiny oval eye frames in vogue in the early 20th century, re-emerging in the 1990s. Originally they were small because lenses were ground from quartz and as it was difficult to obtain suitable pieces of quartz crystal big enough, spectacle lenses had to be kept small!
Lens Materials
Unfortunately, although impact resistant, the material is certainly not scratch resistant which is an important quality to bear in mind when fabricating spectacle lenses. These days polycarbonate lenses, which are a feature of safety eyewear, are surface treated to make them more resistant to scratching.
Vintage Frames
Most people want to collect vintage frames to wear them. However there are lots of issues to be aware of. For example:
What materials deteriorate?
This is a slightly silly question as all frames deteriorate over time. Those the least susceptible to deterioration are metal-rimmed frames. However with frames from around the mid twentieth century and onwards it is common to find the end tips and the nose pads are plastic coated. The reason for the coating is that the base metal of spectacle frames often contains nickel, and if nickel is in prolonged contact with the skin it can set off nickel dermatitis. Although the end tips and nose pads on such frames are very prone to deterioration from acid in perspiration, the good news is that a good optical outlet can usually fit replacement pads and tips - these may not totally match the originals, but their positioning means they will be hidden behind your ears or behind the lenses.
Other eyeglass frame material fare less well. Various plastics were utilised in the 20th century:
Cellulose Nitrate
This material, first developed in 1850, was originally used for the production of movie film and for a short while was used in spectacle frame production. However it is essentially the same material as guncotton (!) and it is now illegal to supply this, either in spectacle frames (or in films either). It deteriorates over time, and with heat gives off an acid smell. However if it does ignite it burns very fiercely as it releases oxygen fuelling the flames. This plastic decomposes over time and becomes dangerously inflammable. This material is so dangerous that museums are not allowed to have examples stored or on display. You should defnitely avoid nitrate frames!
Cellulose Acetate
This material was developed and used for the production of glasses frames in the early 1920s in France. Unlike its nitrate cousin this material was not flammable. It is a stable material and easily worked and colored. It is still used today for spectacle frames. Over time, if stored in overly hot conditions it will tend to lose its plasticity and elasticity, making it brittle and the shapes to warp.
Perspex
This very strong material gained popularity in the fifties and sixties for upswept cats-eye supra frames. These eliminated the lower frame rim, substituting a nylon cord (like fishing line) which was held under tension in the lower rim of the spectacle lens that had a groove cut to take the nylon cord. Although the nylon supra design was strong, the material is very brittle, needing a great deal of heat before it can be adjusted to fit the person's face properly. If the frame is not sufficiently hot it will snap and cannot be repaired. However it is actually relatively straightforward for the nylon cord to be replaced, should that break over time.
There are various other materials such as carbon fibre, which enjoyed brief popularity in the seventies, but there is not enough space in this article to cover less popular materials any more comprehensively.
Are the frames safe to wear?
Well, with the exception of cellulose nitrate (see above) yes, they are all safe.
Can prescription lenses be put into a vintage frame?
Of course any frame needs to fit you correctly. Some prescriptions are not suited to certain frames, and the interpupillary distance (how far apart your eyes are!) will influence how thin the lens can be at the edge. You will need to show your chosen frame to your eyecare practitioner as it is possible to calculate the expected thickness of the lens edge for your prescription and frame chosen.
If your frame has a plastic rim that totally surrounds the lens, this will need to withstand being heated, stretched larger than the lens bevel, then cooled which will shrink the rim to hold the lens firmly. Your eye care specialist / optometrist will be able to advise on potential problems - glazing an old frame in this way will probably only be undertaken at you own risk. Opticians canot predict just by visual inspection how fragile and brittle your vintage frame might be. Reputable companies supplying vintage spectacles from the fifties will be able to give an indication on how robust the frames are likely to be but it is likely that they too will be able to offer any cast-iron guarantees, for the same reason.
Vintage spectacle styles can undoubtedly give your fashion sense a unique flavor. You may collect simply for the joy of owning a piece of history, or for use in costume drama, or to wear yourself, but whatever the reason - good luck with your hunting!
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Debra Mendoza is an enthusiastic collector of all vintage fashions ; she loves the history of vintage shapewear & stockings. Ten years ago her passion for the fifties led to her founding http://www.sleeknchic.com, Outside of work leisure interests include, theater, movies & keep fit.
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