The manufacture of turtle-shell frames glasses

Comfort and refinement go hand in hand. They provide the harmony between the model and the individual face, the true luxury of handmade glasses. Traditional handcrafting is essential. Only a firm hand can do justice to a one-off item.

All the art of the tortoise-shell inlayer lies in the know-how he brings to the choice of the actual shell leaves, the coherence of the marbling, and the precision of the blend that reveal the quality of the shaving (the block that is ready to be sculpted). A large number of shavings must be sorted to find the right shade of brown, red, burgundy, flush pink or blonde, with more or less marbling. In all, a palette of ten tones is available for the client.

From the shaving, the inlayer applies a calibre, traces the design and starts an almost architectural shaping of flat surfaces and bevels to catch the light that reveals the curves and depths.
Once sculpted, the surface must be respected through polishing. The icing is spectacular, with light penetrating and being reflected at the chosen locations. From this point on, the handiwork becomes all the more important.

For 4 generations already, the Maison Bonnet has been producing each tortoise-shell item upon request by hand using ancestral techniques that totally respect the natural cycle of the sea turtles.
Maison Bonnet has been producing custom-made frames glasses for heads of states personnality like the president Mitterrand, Chirac and others personnality like Yves Saint Laurent, Onassis, Kennedy and more...
Born in the Jura region, Alfred BONNET was a spectacle maker based in Morez, the capital of spectacles, in the late 30s. He specialised in the production of frames in gold and tortoise-shell.
Robert BONNET quite naturally followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the Maison Achard in Paris in 1950. Three years later, he became head of production with Boidot. In 1955 he created the Maison Bonnet, a workshop for bespoke spectacles. He works exclusively in tortoise shell.
At the age of 14, Christian BONNET started an apprenticeship with his father as well as studying as an optician. In late 1980, he took over from his father who had built up a prestigious clientele: crowned heads, men of letters, figures from the arts and politics.
Resolutely creative, Franck BONNET shows a passion for style. His creations are used to enhance contemporary design, decorative art, high jewellery and haute couture collections.
Link :
Bonnet in Francewww.maisonbonnet.com