What acetate is, and how it differs from plastic
Cellulose acetate starts as plant fibre, cotton and wood pulp, which is turned into a material that is pressed into thick sheets. Colour and pattern go into the sheet itself, in layers and blocks, which is how tortoise, translucent crystal and two-tone fronts are made: the pattern runs right through the frame and cannot wear off. A frame is then cut from the sheet, shaped, tumbled and polished by hand or machine until it shines. The tortoise shell sunglasses guide covers the pattern that made the material famous.
Moulded plastics, the injection-moulded nylons and polycarbonates of cheap and sport sunglasses, are made the other way: liquid material into a mould, colour sprayed or mixed in, finished in minutes. They are lighter and cheaper and can be bent into a wrap shape acetate cannot reach, which is why sport frames use them. They do not take a polish the same way, the colour sits in or on the surface, and they look and feel like what they are. "Italian acetate" and "polished acetate" on a product page are the two phrases that tell you a frame is the sheet material and not a mould.
What acetate does that metal cannot
- Colour and depth. Acetate carries colour inside the material: a tortoise that looks different in every light, a crystal grey you can see into, a black with a gloss that reads as lacquer. Metal carries colour as plating on the surface. The black sunglasses guide and clear sunglasses guide cover the two ends.
- Presence. An acetate rim has width and depth, so the frame is part of the face rather than a line around the lens. The thick frame glasses guide covers how much presence a face can take.
- Warmth. Acetate does not take the temperature of the day, so there is no cold temple in winter or hot bridge in summer.
- Shape memory. A good acetate frame, warmed and set once, holds its shape; there are no pads to drift and no wire to bend in a bag.
What it gives up: it is heavier for the same lens than metal, the moulded bridge cannot be adjusted the way nose pads can, and a very thin acetate rim is weaker than a very thin metal one. The lightweight sunglasses guide covers where the weight starts to matter.
Who acetate sunglasses suit
Acetate is presence, so it suits faces that can carry a frame and people who want the frame to be seen.
- Strong features and dark hair. The best match. A medium or thick acetate rim sits level with strong brows and a strong jaw where a thin metal rim disappears.
- Round and soft faces. A square or a cat eye in acetate adds the line the face lacks; the oversized sunglasses guide and cat eye sunglasses guide cover the two shapes acetate does best.
- Oval faces. Take anything; the only decision is rim width.
- Fine features and small faces. Acetate can overwhelm. Choose a narrow shape, a thin rim or a translucent colour, which reads lighter than a solid.
- Anyone who wants colour. Tortoise, crystal, cognac, burgundy and two-tone fronts are acetate's territory, and the what colour glasses should I get guide matches them to skin and hair.
The colours acetate is best at
Tortoise first, because the layered pattern is the material's signature. Black second, because polished black acetate has a gloss no other material matches. Then the translucents, grey crystal, clear beige, cognac, which let light through the frame and read softer than a solid; the orange sunglasses guide has the warm end. Burgundy and dark red are the acetate colours that read as neutral on the face and as colour in a photo.
How to care for acetate sunglasses
Three habits. Keep them out of a hot car, because heat is the one thing that softens acetate, and a frame that has gone soft and cooled in the wrong shape needs re-setting. Clean them with water and a drop of soap rather than alcohol or household sprays, which dull the polish over time; the how to clean sunglasses guide has the routine. And tighten the hinge screws with a small driver when a temple goes loose rather than letting it flap, which the how to tighten glasses guide covers. Acetate that is cared for keeps its gloss for years, and a frame that has lost it can usually be polished back.
Fit: the bridge is moulded, so choose it right
An acetate frame has no pads to adjust, which makes the bridge choice matter more than on metal. The checks: the frame reaches the sides of the face, the eyes sit near the centre of each lens, the lower edge clears the cheeks when you smile, and the frame stays put when you look down. On a nose that does not rise much between the eyes, a frame cut for a lower nose bridge sits level where a standard acetate saddle drops. Many of our frames are cut that way, and the low bridge fit sunglasses collection lists them. The how should sunglasses fit guide has the full set of checks.
MUJOSH acetate sunglasses
Nine pairs from the sunglasses collection in acetate, from the product descriptions and tags, with the colourways checked against the product photos. Prices as listed on 27 October.
- Cinnamon, $69: an oversized flush-mount acetate square, polarized, cut for a lower nose bridge, in dark tortoise or black. The lowest priced acetate frame in the range and the one to start with.
- Jasmin, $79: an oversized cat eye in Italian acetate, polarized, low bridge fit, in black or red. The women's acetate classic.
- Vintage Cat-Eye, $79: a classic cat eye in acetate with metal rivets and slim temples, in black or honey tortoise with black temples.
- Lix, $99: an oversized acetate square, polarized, low bridge fit, in black or two translucent greys. The translucent option for a face that finds solid acetate heavy.
- Dixrea, $99: a polished acetate square with polarized grey lenses and small rivets, low bridge fit, in burgundy, black or grey crystal with a silver mirror.
- LYF Cat Eye, $99: a soft cat eye in polished acetate with twin rivets, in black, burgundy or clear beige with a brown gradient lens.
- Numer, $109: a narrow rectangle in polished acetate, polarized, in grey crystal with a blue gradient, dark tortoise or black. The narrow acetate for a small face.
- Comte Oversized, $119: an oversized acetate square cut for a lower nose bridge. The most presence in the range; the oversized sunglasses collection lists it with the others.
- Zest, $169: a narrow oval in polished acetate, polarized, in black, dark tortoise or cognac. The quiet acetate, and the one that shows the material's depth best.
Seven of the nine are polarized per their product pages and sit in the polarized sunglasses collection.
The bottom line
Acetate sunglasses are cut from a sheet of plant-based material rather than moulded, which gives them colour with depth, a gloss, warmth and a shape that holds; they are heavier than metal and their bridge cannot be adjusted, so the cut has to be right. They suit strong features, round and soft faces and anyone who wants the frame seen; small faces should go narrow, thin or translucent. Keep them out of heat, clean them with soap and water, tighten the screws. In the MUJOSH range Cinnamon is the place to start, Jasmin and the two cat eyes the women's classics, Lix the translucent, Dixrea and Comte the squares, Numer the narrow rectangle and Zest the quiet oval.
Material is one of the six checks in the high quality sunglasses guide, with the lens, the coating, the hinge, the fit and the finish.
Frequently asked questions
What is acetate in sunglasses?
A material made from plant cellulose, pressed into coloured sheets and cut, shaped and polished into frames. The colour runs through the material, which is why acetate tortoise and crystal look the way they do, and why the frame takes a gloss that moulded plastic cannot.
Is acetate better than plastic for sunglasses?
For colour, depth, gloss and a frame that holds its shape, yes. Moulded plastics are lighter, cheaper and can be bent into sport wrap shapes that acetate cannot reach. Fashion and everyday sunglasses are usually acetate or metal; sport sunglasses are usually moulded.
How do you care for acetate sunglasses?
Keep them out of a hot car, clean them with water and a drop of soap rather than alcohol or household sprays, keep them in a case, and tighten the hinge screws when a temple loosens. Heat is the one thing that changes the shape.
Which MUJOSH sunglasses are acetate?
Cinnamon ($69), Jasmin and Vintage Cat-Eye ($79), Lix, Dixrea and LYF Cat Eye ($99), Numer ($109), Comte Oversized ($119) and Zest ($169); seven of the nine are polarized.
