The material of a glasses frame decides how it looks, how much it weighs on your face and how it should be looked after. Acetate gives depth of colour and a fuller line. Metal is slimmer and lighter, and usually comes with adjustable nose pads. Mixed frames combine the two, and rimless and semi-rimless frames take the frame almost out of the picture. Choose the material first, then the shape.
What Is an Acetate Frame?
Acetate, properly cellulose acetate, is a plastic made from cellulose. It is the traditional material for fuller optical frames, and its appeal is colour: tortoiseshell, transparent tints and layered patterns run through the material itself rather than sitting on the surface, which gives a frame its depth and polish. Acetate frames tend to be thicker than metal ones, so they frame the eyes more boldly, and they rest on the nose without separate nose pads.
Product descriptions often say simply "plastic". Acetate is one kind of plastic, and the wording varies from house to house, so read the materials line of each frame. The four below are from Guess. The Tortoise Rectangular Eyeglasses are injection-moulded in cellulose acetate, with metal-core temples and small gold triangular logos. The Tortoise Round Eyeglasses are a moulded acetate frame reinforced with a stainless steel core at the temples, finished with patterned acetate tips. The Tortoiseshell Round Eyeglasses are a thick moulded acetate frame in brown and amber, with a small metallic 'G' on the temple. The Brown Rectangular Eyeglasses, a semi-transparent women's frame, pair moulded acetate with stainless steel reinforced hinges and patterned inner arms.
- Tortoise Rectangular Eyeglasses
- Tortoise Round Eyeglasses
- Tortoiseshell Round Eyeglasses
- Brown Rectangular Eyeglasses
Metal Frames: Light and Fine
A metal frame uses far less material than acetate, so it reads as a fine line around the lens and lets your features lead. Most metal frames have adjustable nose pads, small pads on arms that an optician can bend to set the frame at the right height and angle on your nose. The temples usually end in plastic or acetate tips, which sit more comfortably behind the ear than bare metal.
Stainless steel is the most common metal in everyday frames: thin, strong and finished in a range of colours. Titanium is the other name you will meet. It is prized for being very light and strong. Colour on a metal frame is a finish, such as gold or rose gold plating, so it is worth treating gently. The Thin Metal Rectangular Eyeglasses are a slim stainless steel frame with acetate temple tips and adjustable silicone nose pads. The Rose Gold Hexagonal Eyeglasses are a thin stainless steel frame finished in rose gold plating, with black acetate tips. The Rose Gold Round Eyeglasses take a softer shape: a slim metal frame in rose gold plating with stainless steel rims and adjustable nose pads. The Gold Round Eyeglasses are a thin metal frame in warm gold plating with matte black acetate tips.
- Thin Metal Rectangular Eyeglasses
- Rose Gold Hexagonal Eyeglasses
- Rose Gold Round Eyeglasses
- Gold Round Eyeglasses
Mixed Frames: Acetate and Metal Together
A mixed frame puts each material where it works best. The most common pairing is an acetate front, which carries the colour and shape, with slim metal temples, which keep the sides light. Others reverse the emphasis, with a metal frame and acetate details. If you like the presence of acetate but find a full acetate frame heavy, a mixed frame is the natural middle ground.
The Tortoiseshell Square Eyeglasses combine a moulded acetate front with slim stainless steel temples, and decorative triangular studs at the corners. The Black Cat-Eye Eyeglasses set a glossy black acetate front against plated metal temples. The Patterned Metal Square Eyeglasses work the other way round: a lightweight metal frame with a patterned pink and black acetate overlay and adjustable nose pads. The Tortoise Cat-Eye Eyeglasses pair a tortoiseshell plastic upper frame with metal temples and a metal lower half, with turquoise inner arms and triangular metal accents.
- Tortoiseshell Square Eyeglasses
- Black Cat-Eye Eyeglasses
- Patterned Metal Square Eyeglasses
- Tortoise Cat-Eye Eyeglasses
Rimless and Semi-Rimless Frames
A rimless frame has no rim around the lenses at all: the temples and bridge are fixed directly to the lenses, so what you see is the lens itself and very little frame. A semi-rimless, or half-rim, frame has a rim along the top of each lens and leaves the lower edge open or held by a fine wire. Both are the most discreet choices, and both depend on the lenses for their shape, so they are made up to your lenses by an optician. Because the lens edge is exposed, they ask for a little more care.
The Silver Rimless Eyeglasses have rimless lenses with thin metal temples, adjustable nose pads and a polished silver finish. The Gold Semi-Rimless Eyeglasses are a gold-plated metal half-rim frame with soft silicone nose pads, spring hinges and burgundy temple tips. The Burgundy Retro Half-Rim Eyeglasses have a thicker upper rim with a thin metal wire beneath, round lenses and metal nose pads. The Metal Semi-Rimless Eyeglasses are a light black metal frame with rectangular lenses and leopard-print temples.
- Silver Rimless Eyeglasses
- Gold Semi-Rimless Eyeglasses
- Burgundy Retro Half-Rim Eyeglasses
- Metal Semi-Rimless Eyeglasses
How Do You Look After Your Frames?
Whatever the material, the same few habits keep a frame in shape.
- Take your glasses off with both hands, holding the temples, so the hinges and the fit are not pulled out of line.
- Clean them with lukewarm water and a little mild soap, then dry them with a soft microfibre cloth. Avoid household cleaners, and if your lenses have coatings, follow your optician's advice.
- Keep frames away from heat. Acetate can soften and lose its shape if it is left in a hot car or on a sunny windowsill.
- Never put glasses down on their lenses. When you are not wearing them, keep them in a case.
- Treat plated metal gently: wipe off perfume, hairspray and sun cream rather than letting them sit on the finish.
- If a frame starts to sit crooked or slip, ask an optician to adjust it rather than bending it yourself. Acetate is reshaped with gentle heat, and metal nose pads need a careful hand.
Which Material Suits You?
If you want colour and presence, choose acetate. If you want the lightest feel and a fine line, choose metal. If you want a little of both, choose a mixed frame, and if you would rather your glasses almost disappear, choose rimless or semi-rimless. For your prescription and fitting, ask an optician, who can also tell you which frames suit the lenses you need. For the shapes that balance your face, see Glasses Frames for Your Face Shape: How to Choose, and for optical frames for reading, Reading Glasses and Optical Frames: How to Choose a Pair.
In Short
Acetate for colour and depth, metal for lightness, mixed frames for balance, rimless and semi-rimless for discretion. Our advice is to decide which of those matters most to you, then choose the shape within that material.
