Glasses from A to Z

Armature – Core: A metal rod reinforcing a plastic branch.

Bande – Strip : strip of plastic material pulled from the plate.

Barre frontale – Browbar : element following the line of the eyebrows on the width of the frame face and on which non-rimmed lenses are fixed.
Synonyms: barrette; master bar.

Branches – Side (UK) / Temple (USA) : elements serving as support on the temples and ears and maintaining the stability of the frame face.

Brillanter – to Polish : giving a shiny appearance by polishing.

Cambrer – to Arch: to bend the branches.
Cercles – Rims: elements of the frame designed to surround the lenses. 
Chanfrein – Chamfer: oblique plan inside the lens forming an angle with the groove face.
Charnières – Hinge: joints connecting the branches to the face of the frame and allowing the folding of the branches behind the face.
Charnons – Barrels: tubes milled into the profile or welded onto the plate and pivoting on a rotational axis.
Coude – Earbend: beginning of the arch resting on the top of the ears.
Couleur – Color: the color palette used is very wide: dark such as brown, green, navy blue or black; bright, warm, cold or stone, earth, sea, sand, foliage, fruit, flower tones; pearlescent; high-tech; metallic – steel, silver, chrome, gun barrel, gold, palladium – with a matte or glossy aspect.
Création – Design: First in the form of a paper drawing then computer file (Computer-Aided Design) and finally a prototype, the frame will only be manufactured after these creation stages. Designers, attentive to the evolution of trends and lifestyles, create several models, of which only a few will eventually be produced.
Crochet – Hook: curved and flexible part at the free end of the branch, wrapping around the back of the branch.

Decoration: Decoration is a separate profession in the eyewear industry that is creative and meticulous, requiring almost six months of training. The majority of this profession is carried out by women. Equipped with a syringe or original devices and a good dose of patience, decorators execute designs that have been imagined by the creators of the brand. When they intervene, the eyewear frame has already undergone initial galvanic treatment.

Drageoir – Groove: See Rainure.

Embout – Endip: End of the branch serving as support behind the ears.

Enjoliveurs – Trim: Various shaped metal pieces concealing the end of the screws or rivets of the plates on the outside of the face and branch.

Fil rond – Wrought wire: a metallic material drawn into long thin strands for the manufacture of the branches or nose of frames. It is delivered in rolls, straightened, cut, and then subjected to bending, stamping – to give shape and relief – and cutting to become an element of the frame.

Fil à drageoir – Groove wire: a metallic material drawn into long thin strands for the manufacture of circles as it has a section for inserting lenses. It is shaped (in 3D) on computerized machines, called “rolling-lensing machines”.

Fraiser – To mill: to remove part of the material to obtain the desired shape of an element of the frame.

Galerie – Rimbar: piece of plastic material covering the top of a metal circle.

Goupille de la charnière – Hinge dowel pin: axis of articulation of the hinge.

Goupille fixe – Fixed dowel pin: type of pin screwed into the cheek of the tenon. Synonym: hinge screw.

Joues – Flanges: These are two halves of a metal tenon that, when assembled by screwing, allow for the tightening of the frame around the lens and holding the eye of the temple steady.

Laminage – Rolling: The process of reducing metallic masses into thin sheets, strips or bars.

Lunetterie – Eyewear Industry: Refers to the industry of producing eyewear, specifically frames.

Lunettes – Glasses/Spectacles/Frames: The classic design of glasses comprises of two arms, two circles, two circle clamps, two tenons (decorative pieces), two pad holders, two sleeves, a nose pad, a bridge and screws. Synonym: frame.

Maillechort – Nickel-silver: an alloy composed of copper, nickel and zinc in varying proportions.

Matériaux – Materials: For flexibility in a frame, materials such as titanium, steel, Kevlar, carbon fiber and other modern and innovative materials such as “Shape Memory Alloys” are used, while materials such as monel or hardening materials are used to strengthen it. Gold, platinum, silver and other precious materials continue to be used. When combined with copper and steel, they are colored and made more matte.

Matrice, Matriçage – Die-stamping: the process of giving a piece its final shape by pressing it against a die. The die is a mold that, after receiving a particular imprint, can reproduce it on an object subject to its action.

Monter les plaques – Plate mounting: riveting or welding plates to the frame.

Monture – Frame: see glasses.

Moule – Mould: a solid body that is hollowed out and shaped into which a liquid or pasty substance is poured which, when solidified, retains the shape it has taken in the cavity. It is primarily used for parts/components of a frame.

Nez – Bridge: a piece connecting the two circles and serving as a support on the nose. Synonym: Bridge.

Nez-selle – Saddle bridge: a type of plastic nose that is in contact with the back of the nose, the widened edges of the circles at the top.

Nylor – Semi-rimless: frame whose grooved lenses are held by a nylon thread.

Plaque – Plate: A metal piece bearing the hinges of the hinge and welded onto a plastic frame.

Plaquettes – Pad: Pieces that are recessed from the plane of the circles serving as support surfaces on the wings of the nose.

Pont – Bridge: See Nose.

Prototype – Prototype: First copy of a model before mass production. It can be made by hand or by stereo-lithography.

Rainure – Groove: a groove inside a circle. Synonym: drageoir.

Recouvrement – Covering: plastic sheath on a metal part of the branch.

Rhabillage – Frame alignment: putting back into good condition.

Talon – Knuckle or joint: part of the branch that carries the tenon.

Tenons – Lugs or Endpieces: parts located on the sides of the face bearing the hinge faces. Synonym: ear.

Téton – Tear drop: metal part welded onto a sheet of metal found inside plastic material or attached by claw to the plastic material of the plaque. This piece allows the arm to be attached to the plaque.

Traitement galvanique – Galvanic treatment: Fixing an electrolytic deposit (metal salt) on a metal to protect it from oxidation.

Verres – Lenses: An essential product that has evolved since the cutting of glass balls in the 17th century, to today’s result of high technology. Mineral (glass) or organic (transparent and lightweight plastic material), polarized and/or photochromic lenses are resistant to shocks, lighter and more comfortable, and correct eye sight while respecting personal style and harmony.

Vis de tenon – Endpiece screw: a screw that joins the cheeks of the metal tenon.