Acrylic, Glass Or Silicone Eyes?

It really depends. If I'm trying to find the right color of eye for the doll, I will buy a couple pairs of glass eyes as test colors. If the color, fit, clarity and vibrancy of the eye fits what I am going for I'll keep it. If I want a little more depth, I'll go to a textured urethane or silicone eye. But overall, I like these three options about equally. I do like certain acrylics too, but the majority of my crew wears the other options listed above.

 

I prefer silicone eyes, because I find hard eyes (resin, acrylic or glass) look unrealistic to me. Real eyeballs aren't solid, and I enjoy the way silicone eyes mimic real eyeballs. I also prefer them because they can fit into slightly imperfect sockets without gapping horribly.

 

I like acrylic eyes, specifically, metallic ones. It's not because of the price, though -- I just genuinely like the way they look.

 

I perfer glass, mostly for the color and the fact they're shiny, like a real eye. I do have silicon and acrylic in some but most have glass in.

 

1. Urethane-- I really like these... the detail is always nice, lots of colors and sizes. They can scratch, but I've never had a problem with that... just handle them nicely and they are fine. They DO tend to be more expensive. And not easily available... they seem harder/longer to make, maybe?

2. Glass-- Used to be that they colors/sizes were limited in glass, but not nowadays. Now my liking of glass is close to that of Urethane eyes.

I have other kinds of eyes but don't prefer them, although I will use them if they are the right color and size and shape, and I can't find them in urethane or glass...

 

Good quality glass, 100%. I like to think long term. Glass has been proven to change very little over time. Urethanes are lovely, but I've seen a couple of pairs that have definitely yellowed over time. Considering the pairs in question were probably less than 10 years old, it makes me wary of their longevity.

Glass eyes have a wide range of prices, from less than $10 to over $100, to suit many styles and budgets. My favorites are the D400 series made by Hand Glass Craft. They're wonderfully detailed, catch light beautifully, and are mid-range in price.

 

Hmmm... I've only ever had glass eyes, but I really like them! They reflect really nicely and are nice and bright. Acrylics I've seen seem like they can also be really nice. I'm inclined to stay away from silicone though, as I have a dog that sheds very much and I like to handle dolls.

Do other eye types other than glass have smaller domes (you know, the part where the color is and whatnot)? Or are there any people who sell glass eyes with smaller domes? Because that could be a selling point for me. I like my one girl's current eyes, but the way they fit in her eye wells is kind of weird because of that and I got the right measurements and everything.

 

I have to agree that urethanes get a lot of hype, but my vote went for the glass eyes. they have some preeeetty neat "tracking".

 

I'm not too picky as long as the color looks right, when it comes to glass, acrylic, and eurathane (however you spell that). But I only have one pair of silicone eyes and I found them to be sort of sticky... Like cat fur and sweater fuzz will cling to them when you're trying to put them in your doll and stuff. So although they feel cool and look all right, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to buy them unless they were a color I loved and I couldn't buy them in another composition.

 

I like acrylic eyes, they look more real to me (at least certain ones do).

 

Most of mine wear glass eyes, and I think they look great! One of my girls has acrylic eyes, and they're very odd in photographs.

 

I would love to try some urethane eyes but for now I prefer glass. Aisling does have acrylics, but if I ever find a pair of glass or urethanes that are a perfect match I'll probably switch them out.

 

Yeah, there are quite a few dealers who carry low-dome glass eyes. Captured in Glass does a low-dome option, I believe; Ginarolo's eyes tend to be low-domed. You're probably going to find yourself spending a little bit more for low-dome eyes though. As for other types, virtually any other material is going to have a low-dome option of some kind. I never get anything but low-domes myself; high domes bug the dickens out of me.

For the most part, my preference is very strongly for detailed urethane eyes. I am a total sucker for Mystics; three of my boys wear them and they are glorious little nuggets of colorful goodness. I don't like the dullness of most acrylic eyes; I don't like how a lot of inexpensive glass lacks detail. Silicone is solely dependent on doll and color. I have Soom eyes in one of my boys and they are absolute perfection for him; I had them in my DoC because they were the only eyes that didn't gap like a mofo. One of my boys wears a lovely pair of lilac Ginarolo glass eyes (the exact Mystics I had picked out for him actually came up on the MP, but I opted to not buy them because I liked his glass eyes so much). The sixth...doesn't have eyes yet. XDDDDDDD I'm not sure what I'm going to get for him. Probably Ginarolo glass, unless the perfect pair of red Mystics/Gumdrops shows up on the MP.

 

It really depends on the doll for me. I like the depth and brilliant colour of glass eyes, and how 'liquid' they can look in the sunlight. However, I have dolls whose eyewells aren't the easiest to fit, and silicone eyes fill the sockets better, but I haven't found any yet with that brilliant colour I love... I have yet to try any low-dome glass to see if they still have that depth I like. I have acrylics in one doll because they're the only ones that fit him, but even those certainly don't look bad, especially because his eyes are tiny and you can barely see them... the colour and detail is great, but they don't seem quite as 'alive' as glass eyes to me.

So for now... glass!

 

Urethane eyes are the only eyes I use in my dolls. >___<;; I started with acrylics when I first got into the hobby. After that, I went onto buying glass eyes to replace all my acrylics. Then I got my first pair of Urethane eyes, and I fell absolutely in love. They were just what I wanted for my dolls. I have not gone back to glass or acrylics since. :3 My favorite at the moment are Dollshe's. &#9829; Although I've been trying to experiment and explore others such as Enchanted, Ethereal Angel's, and Makoeyes. The amount of depth and detail in urethane eyes is lovely. They also catch light really well. Well worth the price and long wait in my opinion. ^^

I do think some glass eyes can look equally wonderful though! I haven't had enough experience with acrylics to say much about them. Of the ones I did own, I could not get past the pixels. Silicones I have never used.

 

I can't afford to step it up to urethane eyes yet but more and more I'm trading my acrylics for glass. The colors are more vibrant. I used to prefer the acrylics because of the realism they capture with specific regard to the iris. But lately that's not what matters. I like the glass eyes better now and I imagine, one day when cash flow permits, I'll start giving the urethanes a try.

 

I have mostly DDs and one SD. I love acrylic eyes because it really looks like the Anime. The new Volks J and K-type are absolutely breath-taking! There is only one DD I'd prefer in glass eyes, Rise! She has a very unique facial structure in terms of being a DD and look great in glass eyes.

 

Right now I only have acrylic eyes and they are the only type where I've managed to find the style I look for so far. So right now I prefer acrylic ones but I would love to try the other kinds too at some Point

 

I prefer glass eyes. I think they have more of a natural sparkle and depth than the others.

 

I prefer urethanes for the most part, but I'm never opposed to the perfect set of well made glass eyes. I feel like urethane eyes, like many have said, catch the light well and look oh-so-nice in dolls so they're my favorite to get.