Italian carpenter Doriano Mattellone and designer Matteo Ragni have a love of wood and its properties, so together they began W-eye with Antonio Stella, which sells wooden eyeglass frames suitable for optical or sunglass lens.
Each lovingly crafted pair is constructed of seven sheets of wood interlaid with two sheets of aluminium to make them both structurally sound and flexible.
A digitally controlled cutting machine is used to create the contours and then each pair is sanded by hand. The frames are then branded and varnished and upon request, can be custom etched and numbered by a sophisticated laser system.
All W-eye models are available in nine types of wood. European wood species include Maple, Ash, Cherry and Walnut. African wood species include Wengè, Mahogany, Ebony, Zebra wood and Sapelli wood. Their most recent collection includes colorful wood stains.
Photo Credits: Still life by Luca Corvatta, portraits by Enrico Suà Ummarino.
Every pair of glasses can be full, or made from one type of wood, bifacial (two types of wood, inner and outer) or multicolour (mix of types of wood, inner/outer). The wood used comes from certified forests managed according to environmental sustainability criteria.
New for 2011:
Their newest collection, just released last month and not yet on their website, includes colored stained woods for a more vibrant and playful look:
Go here for the location of their shops or contact them via e-mail.
A special thanks to Elmanco for bringing these to my attention