Pince-Nez Eyewear

[imoldfashioned]

Oh, I love that story Ashley! That's something I would do.

Many thanks for all the compliments, I'm blushing over here.

 

[imoldfashioned]

Today I got 2 great pair of pince nez from WarBaby. I've got an eye exam scheduled for the 24th, so I can get lenses fitted after that. Pardon the non-vintage wear.

I adore this pair, I think they'll probably be my "daily wear" glasses.

I really like these but I don't think I'm going to be able to get my thick lenses into them--the metal is very thin.

I also got a silver pair (not from WarBaby) that are gorgeous but just don't flatter my face. C'est la vie!

 

[Nick D]

Wonderful eyeglasses, IOF! They look great on you.

I'll have some pictures of mine hopefully soon.

 

[Alan B.]

The round shape lenses definitely suit your face. Send me an email at the Pince Nez Renaissance and I'll send you out a free pair of nose pads. They make a great improvement in comfort and security. All we ask is to use your photo, which you've already done here.

Can't beat the price for these pince-nez and the round ones look great.

 

[Nick D]

IOF, how well do the wire rimmed ones stay on in comparison to the finger pieces? I found a pair at the antiques market in Brussels once, but I didn't try them on (should have, oh well.)

 

[imoldfashioned]

IOF, how well do the wire rimmed ones stay on in comparison to the finger pieces? I found a pair at the antiques market in Brussels once, but I didn't try them on (should have, oh well.)

Hi Nick,

In post 42 the honey colored ones have a spring mechanism with levers by the nosepiece (as do the "Harold Lloyd" pair). Both pair of these stay on perfectly with no pinching.

The other pair I'm wearing in post 42 (the ones I doubt would fit my lenses) have only some cork cushioning on the nosepiece. There is no spring mechanism, you essentially pull them apart to fit your onto your nose. These might fit more securely if they had the heft of some lenses in them but they feel fairly precarious right now. There's no way I'd wear that pair without a chain. The metal on this earlier pair is much lighter and thinner than the other two pair as well.

I hope that helps--let me know if you have any other questions.


Alan B. thank you for your kind offer!

 

[Otium]

Any experience with this maker

I was looking into getting a set of pince nez from rareframes.com out of NY. Anyone have any experience with them?

 

[Jerekson]

How well do these things honestly stay on? If I didn't know better I would think it impossible for them to not...cease to be worn.

I've been considering getting a pair to convert to sunglasses. I always though that would look really cool, and I am running out of styles for my sun glasses...

 

[Nick D]

How well do these things honestly stay on? If I didn't know better I would think it impossible for them to not...cease to be worn.

I've been considering getting a pair to convert to sunglasses. I always though that would look really cool, and I am running out of styles for my sun glasses...

Honestly? I have never had a pair fall off. I don't wear them all day long, as mine are reading glasses, but as a post-grad I wear them for hours at a time with no problem. And, you never have to deal with pince nez sliding down your nose.

 

[Alan B.]

Looks expensive

I was looking into getting a set of pince nez from rareframes.com out of NY. Anyone have any experience with them?

This looks like one pricey shop. I noticed on his website that he works exclusively with gold-filled frames. On eBay you can get solid 10k or 14k for $100 or less. Curious about his prices though.

 

[Otium]

Very Expensive

I think he is very expensive and by appointment only. The only problem is that I've had no luck with eBay and no clue about sizing. I don't know if it is worth my time to have it done right the first time or randomly buy sets on eBay and see if they fit or not. I've seen your website and ideally I'd find someone with a sizing kit locally but I simply don't think that will happen. Even in DC pince nez are extremely rare. Any suggestions other than buying and just hoping I get lucky on eBay?

This looks like one pricey shop. I noticed on his website that he works exclusively with gold-filled frames. On eBay you can get solid 10k or 14k for $100 or less. Curious about his prices though.

 

[Alan B.]

But Worth It?

That is a decision the individual has to make. It is either time or money. Buying on eBay is the less expensive route to go but takes time. If you have the money and are willing to spend it, a boutique optician may be worth a try. Only the determined end up wearing this eyewear!

 

[Dated Guy]

Is there such a thing as Male and Female types in general. Okay, some may be coloured/fancy looking frames for female use and so on, but, is there essentially a difference on the basic designs..???[huh]

 

[Alan B.]

Not to my knowledge. Pince-nez was unisex from my understanding. However, I will let my colleague on the Renaissance chime in w/ his thoughts as he knows more history than I do.

 

[Alan B.]

On gender

My colleague, who doesn't have an account here, passed along the following info:

"All eyewear styles were unisex until the late 1930's and most were still unisex until after WW2. Women's styles slowly emerged after WW2 to the early 50's when separate male and female styles became the rule. It wasn't until the early '70's that the unisex style started to make a slow come back.

As for pince-nez,only the chain and hairpin denoted gender."

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Bump!

 

[bombin]

I recently acquired a pair of Oxford style pince nez that I would like to have lenses put in. Thought I'd re-bump/necro this thread for general pince nez discussion.

 

[F. J.]

Dinerman's Blue Pince-nez

You might be interested in knowing that, in the 19th and early 20th century it was widely believed that blue lenses exerted a calmning effect on hysterics and lunatics in general. They were often prescribed for people with mild mental problems - sort of like 19th century Prozac or Valium.

I have several pairs. They work for me...

Actually, . . . no.
The tint was for sun-protection, especially for people with weak or sensitive eyes. It had nothing to do with any sort of treatment for mental illness.

Here’s an excerpt from an article on spectacles during the Civil War (note third paragraph):

There is good evidence that soldiers in both armies used colored spectacles. A surgeon in the 77th Regiment New York Volunteers commented upon the general lack of uniformity in a division of Pennsylvania militia, stating that their lines contained “grave gentlemen in spectacles (and) studious young men in green glasses.”

Colored lens spectacles with green, blue or smoked (gray or neutral) glass were readily and cheaply available from any optician or fancy hardware store. A letter written by John S. Mahony to Col. A. McMahan notes that at Chickamauga, a unknown officer with “colored spectacles” gave a command that resulted in the capture of his regiment. Ephraim Anderson wrote of Capt. Wade of St. Louis, the commander of a battery of Missouri artillery, describing him as “plain and unassuming; he usually wore a pair of green spectacles.” Oculists, opticians and physicians often preferred one color over another when choosing among green, blue and smoked glasses. Most opticians and oculists had strong opinions about the best tint of glass for spectacles, and many preferred the gray or “London smoke” glasses, since colors remained unaffected by the neutral tint. Norwich oculist Charles Carleton, on the other hand, stated that blue “is the proper color to be employed. Smoke-glasses should never be used, as they diminish the whole volume of light, and thereby render the image less distinct.” Although green glass had been the preferred color of spectacle glasses, by the 1830’s written opinion turned toward to blue, and by the 1860’s to neutral gray as the colored glass of choice. A careful review of all known works written after 1845 by American oculists and opticians, and similar books written by American authors on the subject of manners and etiquette, found not one that recommended the use of green glass – “Frost’s Laws and By-Laws of American Society”, an 1869 book on etiquette, declares “blue or smoke-colored glasses are the best; green glasses are detestable.”

We have read and heard claims that wearing certain colors of spectacle glasses treated particular diseases. It is true that persons with damaged eyesight often used colored glasses, but the use of specific colors to treat specific diseases was not done to any great extent. Going further, we have seen lists of different colored glasses and their uses in specific occupations. We have found nothing to support this claim, except in certain circumstances (i.e. very dark glasses used by metal smelters). It is a nice story, but primary sources of the 18th and 19th centuries do not back this claim. Colored glasses were used mainly as they are used today - for protection against the sun, although the term “sun glasses” had not come into use. (To be clear, occasionally the term “sun glasses” referred to lenses used to start fires; i.e. burning glasses).

McBrayer, Alan R., and Thomas F. Valenza. “History on Your Face -

Common Spectacle Styles Before, During and After the Civil War, 1835 - 1870.”
Historic EyeWear Company. Historic EyeWear Company, 2012. Web. 3 Aug. 2013.
<https://www.historiceyewearcompany.com/page/18/what-they-wore>.​