Do you ever wonder why the frame prices are so different while they look quite similar. Apart from the brand, the raw material is the main factor in the price. You should be concerned about what is the frame made of when selecting the new frame. The frame’s raw material can be divided into two main types: plastic and metal.

Plastic frames

In the past frames were made of tortoise shell, but nowadays all plastic frames are made of cellulose, both natural cellulose and chemical extract cellulose. A plastic frame is light and most of them are thick and don’t have nose pads. There are three types of plastic frames as follows:

1. Acetate Frame - it’s a solid and glossy plastic. Most of these frames will have metal wire inside the plastic temple in order to provide strength and ease in fitting. They also need heating when fitting. The price of acetate frame is quite cheap, but it cannot be fixed easily when broken.
2. Optyl Frame – this type of frame is translucent and very glossy. There are many attractive color such as pink, blue, purple, gray, yellow, and green. The weight is lighter than other plastics. There is no metal wire inside the temple. It also needs heating when fitting and cannot be fixed easily when broken.
3. Carbon Frame – most of carbon frames are black and brown. This frame type is highly flexible and some designs also have nose pads. The temple may be made of color coated metal with contrast color.

Metal frames

Most of these frames are thin and have nose pads which are adjustable. There are several metals used for frame production. The weight of the frame is based on the raw material. If a metal frame is broken, it can be welded and colored. Metal frames are mostly use for ophthalmic eyeglasses, and attractive design metal frames are also use as sunglasses. We can differentiate metal frames into six types as follows:

1. Solid Gold and Gold-Plated Frame – there might be the specification printed on a temple, i.e. “solid gold” for solid gold frame, “16k” or “16 micron” for 16 micron fine gold plated frame. The more microns of gold the more life the user will get and of course the higher price will be as well. The color of fine gold frame is possible to pale, but it will not peel off. It can be welded if broken and can be re-gold-plated. However, some people are allergic to a fine gold frame.
2. Enameled Metal Frame - most of these frame types made of color plated tungsten or ordinary metal. The surface may be glossy or matted according to the designers. The color may crack easily when dropped or has been used for a while. The price of enameled metal fame is quite cheap, and I can be welded when broken.
3. Nickel Silver Frame – most of the frames in the market made of this kind of metal. Nickel silver is able to be enameled with various colors. This frame can be decorated with epoxy wire on the eye rim. The life time of nickel silver is not very long since it can be affected by the wearer’s sweat. It has been said that nickel can cause skin cancer, so it might be good to avoid this kind of frame, especially for one who has sensitive skin.
4. Monel Frame – the frame made of monel is more expensive than those made of nickel silver because of the stronger metal content. Monel is more resistant to corrosion than nickel and easier to silver-plate or gold-plate. However, monel still has nickel as a component.
5. Stainless Steel Frame – this is a nickel free frame so it is better in terms of health and allergy. But stainless steel is heavier than nickel silver and monel, so the frame is likely to be of a wire design in order to make it light. The frame will look very thin and sometimes people will assume that it is not strong enough.
6. Titanium – the life time will be very long because titanium is rust free and does not corrode when exposed to salty sweat. Titanium is widely used for aerospace craft, medical instruments and automobile industry, so the price is quite expensive. The highlight benefit of titanium as a frame is its allergy free (bio-compatible) characteristic. So we can say that titanium is the best frame raw material at this moment.

In addition to raw material consideration, buyers have to consider how well made the frame is during production. The texture and color should be consistence through out the frame. The joints must be neat, unsharp, and smooth.

Gold-Plated Frame

Monel Frame

Monel Frame