A model sporting the Emerald Teardrop Supersize Aviators from the Francis de Lara FDL Editions collection. Photo courtesy
Jewelry News
Gems Sparkle on These FDL Edition Sunglasses
The frames are set with emeralds, rubies and diamonds
July 24, 2023—Have you noticed the vast array of sunglasses people are sporting this summer? Beyoncé has put the shady issue front and center during her Renaissance tour which I see perpetually in Stories on Instagram. (I’m happily stuck in an algorithm loop.) She changes her designer shades as often as her costumes and often breezily tosses them off into the audience when the vibe of a song switches up.
Yet the superstar is far from the only woman on my social channels showing many different types of sunnies. Jewelry designer Jennifer Fisher has a mindboggling number of sunglasses and stylist June Ambrose sports lots of incredible styles too.
I mention all this to illustrate a point. Sunglasses have clearly always been a great accessory, but now women are really investing in them and creating collections of styles to match various looks and moods. In other words, it’s the perfect time for Francis de Lara’s new sunglasses collection dubbed the FDL Editions.
Photographer John-Paul Francis de Lara Pietrus began designing jewelry and ultra-luxurious gem-set gold and silver eyewear a few years ago. The first collection of limited-edition styles were extraordinary. “Each pair takes an exhaustive 250 to 700 hours to craft and comes with an eye-watering price tag of around $24,000,” is how Smitha Sadanandan described the glasses in a story for this publication.
The prices for the new FDL Editions are considerably less. They hover in the $1,000 to $2,000 range. And they still have deluxe details.
In July during Couture Week in Paris, John-Paul debuted two FDL Edition styles: Aviator and Pentagon. Each will be made in a limited edition of 300. The Ribbon Hearts frames seen here is a preview of the next retail collection. All of them have a little natural diamond near the engraved FDL signature on the serpentine style arms of the frames.
Teardrop shape Gemfields rubies or emeralds, with a 1970s vintage spirit, accent the UV-proof lenses which come in either gradated cognac or rose-tint.
John-Paul’s original collection was inspired by the question he thought of when looking at paintings in Florence at the Uffizzi: “What type of sunglasses would people have worn during the Renaissance?”
The new collection maintains the Renaissance art feeling with Florentine hand engraving techniques rendered on the lightweight gold-plated aerospace grade titanium frames.
“The Aviators have a ‘Telato’ engraving effect, made by tiny, unevenly scored lines in a cross-hatch pattern to give a ‘linen texture,’” explains the designer. “The Pentagons nod to the ‘Rigato’ style to bring to mind a silk grosgrain ribbon.”
If you are sporting spectacular frames like this you probably don’t want to just toss them off into the crowd like Beyoncé when your vibe shifts, but have a special case to carry them.
John-Paul has you covered. The cases for the glasses are composed of sustainable vegan eco-friendly, durable pineapple fiber mock-crocodile leather which is a fitting compartment for the very special eyewear.
Related Stories:
Get to Know: Francis de Lara’s John-Paul Pietrus
Pharrell’s Tiffany Glasses Have A Mughal Vibe
Broken English Has Dazzling New Digs in New York City
Get a gem in your mailbox SIGN UP FOR THE ADVENTURINE NEWSLETTER
