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Glass vs. Acrylic Eyes?

Jan 26, 2006

    1. To be honost I find some acrylics to be very enjoyable if one shines them up a bit.
      ^_^ though I do like glass just as much i'm pretty much indiferant.
      What I really like is sylicone and I plan to buy my first pair within the year with my second girly ^_^
       
    2. I have most types of eyes (with a few notable exceptions because of the price tag) and I actually find that while I prefer the look of Glass and Urethane eyes over Acrylic, in some cases I do prefer the Silicone eyes (like SOOM) over any hard/rigid eye. I tend to choose eyes for my dolls by how they fit in the doll's head as well as the color. (If that makes sense). Silicone eyes are more forgiving, since I don't like gaps.

      Just my .02
       
    3. Ok, I don't want to make another topic buuuuuuuut: I'm wanting to buy some eyes to my kids. But I was thinking: Glass or Silicone? o.o
      Urethane is TOOO expansive to me. I can't pay 1 month of work each eye.... so don't sugest, please ^^'
      I like glass eyes I have and I've never used silicone ones... is there a difference?
       
    4. Hmm... interesting topic. I have both glass and acrylic in my dolls right now, and I have to say I like both, although the pupils in my glass eyes are uneven (a possible problem in anything handmade).
      It is hard to know what would look best until you have them in a doll, because they look completely different. I have stuck eyes I scavenged from a $5 porcelain doll in them and they went from looking horribly cheap to pretty cool and striking...
      Something that seems to have a big effect on the realism of the eyes is how you put them in. IMO- If they're staring straight forward or looking in different directions, even the nicest eyes can look off, but if you move them so they "focus" or put them slightly to the side, some eyes seem to gain more realism and depth... :)
       
    5. I ended up using acrlyic in Tris, just because I wanted purple eyes, dark purple, not the blue purple that I saw eveywhere. After looking at every eye I could find, glass, sillion, acrylic, everything, I finally found the _perfect_ shade in Souldoll eyes. I'm very pleased with how they turned out. I've used Masterpeice eyes in a DP I have, and they look very flat, like a dead fish. I have a really, really cheap pair of acrylics in another DP, and they don't look very good either, so I'm thinking it just depends on the company too, but I'd buy Soulldoll eyes again in a heartbeat.
       
    6. Ladyrixx: You might want to try Hands Violet for purple glass eyes that won't run you a small third world country. XD

      Here's a pic of them:

      [​IMG]

      Pardon my inability to set eyes worth a crap. DDs apparently don't have eyewells, either, which doesn't help much. XD;;;

      (Meet Eri. ^^)
       
    7. I've used glass, acrylic, and silicone. I prefer acrylics just because I love very bright, vibrant, and generally unnatural colors. Silicone eyes are nice for the depth they have and how light hits them. Glass are the best for more "natural" colors. Personally I prefer acrylics and silicone, but if there's a pair I like that are glass I won't hesitate to get them. lol I tend to choose based on color rather than material. But they're all nice in their own way.

      That's all my opinion. But if you can, definately get out and take a look at each kind and make up your mind based on that.
       
    8. As for "realistic"... there are quite a few glass eye makers that actually supply an exact copy of real human eyes - used as prosthetics - so I think its hard to say that all glass eyes are unrealistic. There are speckles, color variation.. even blood vessels. There is a very wide range of "quality in glass eyes.. just as there is in acrylics. In general if you need something unrealistic (in color or design) you will need to go for some sort of acrylic - or non glass at least - unless you can find a glass eye maker who understand what you want and is willing to do it (quite a few will)
      Sure most of the readily available - easy to find.. glass eyes come in a fairly limited color range - but ther is a german manufacturer I used to buy from that has over 65 colors of glass eyes as standards - and would make what ever you wanted as a special order - and for a size 16-18mm the price is about $25 ish (some less) and the quality is superb. So variety IS out there - just can be very hard to find. We mostly see what is available through BJD stores - and they cannot really stock an unlimited range - so they find a glass eye they feel is acceptable and stock sell that.

      Personally I prefer glass - over long periods of time they hold up a lot better. Acrylics can change color over time.. and the whites go yellow etc. I have acrylics (high priced ones) that I put in dolls 20 years ago.. and they are trashed.. the glass ones are still as new. But I have heard of (and personally experienced) total color changes in acrylics and discolouration in under 12 months and less.

      I also just prefer the look of glass. I only have one pair of non-glass eyes in my dolls - which I will probably replace sometime.

      But I have also seen plenty of photos of dolls with non-glass eyes that look GREAT. Think it comes down to what you can afford and the "look" you want.. and as mentioned earlier - fit.

      But as Sakhmet says... chose the eye based on color - not material - some of the acrylics now are very very good. The improvement over the last 10 years is wonderful - but they usualy rival some of the glass eyes in price.. so color.. color.. color.. thats the key :)
       
    9. Wow, that's a lot of colours. O_o; Do they have a website anywhere?
       
    10. I havnt seen any glass eyes I liked-but that doesnt mean they dont exist.

      Acrylic eyes come in such a variety of colours, they're so beautiful! There's a particular shade of violet one eBay seller has (Berengeur doll eyes?) that remind me of lightning-dark, cloudy blue, with tsripes of violet and lilac, so gorgeous...

      My only worry is, my T-Too and T.Bee-A's sleepy eyes might not do lovely eyes justice!
       
    11. Silicone eyes are sort of mooshy, so they mold to the eyesocket sort of, if that makes sense? It's supposed to look nicer in, cause there's no gaps between the eye and the eyesocket. As to looks... I've seen NICE acryllic ones, too! It's all about how well it's made.

      Hope that helps, and I've loved Choco's photostories (I'm usually a lurker ^_^; )
       
    12. Personally, my favorites are Masterpiece Polymer eyes. I get 'em from ebay seller BJ"s Babes. The colors are beautiful and realistic, with multicolored flecks and threadings, and they seem to have a depth that other acrylic eyes lack. Glass eyes do have a certain luster and shine, but the color and flecking patterns don't look real to me. Fr'instance, I have a pair of the Masterpiece eyes in Meadow, which is a green/blue, that has sort of a brown/hazel ring around the pupil, and lots of color variation too...soo pretty. And the light green my Elf Ttory is wearing is light and luminous, just right for a little elf! :)
       
    13. You know, I've been wondering about those polymer eyes. There are a few on the main masterpiece site that I've taken quite a liking to. lol I think I'll go take a peek at that seller.
       
    14. Silicone! I love Masterpiece eyes.
       
    15. I am a little nervous about posting here, so if I screw up, please don't be too hard on me.

      I would like to hear opinions regarding which eyes look better in person and in photos, and by types I mean glass or acrylic, manufacturer, colors and that sort of thing.

      Thanks for any input.
       
    16. My personal favorite are urethane eyes. Just because they ARE custom made, you can choose the color/pupil size/shape and so on. They also come in MANY colors. But they are the more expensive when it comes to eyes. But I think they are totally worth it. They are BEAUTIFUL in person, and have a great shine that picks up in photos.

      Some good companies are Enchanted Doll, Gumdrops, Droprops and so on.

      I like Silicone and Glass as my seconds. Silicones do get dusty, but come in alot of colors, and glass are nice and solid.

      I don't like acrylic at all for the most part, unless they are really high quality ones like Souldolls. Because they don't have much depth.
       
    17. Hmm In pictures I've never noticed the difference between acrylic and glass eyes... so I've never been tempted to buy glass ones.

      Maybe once I see them at a meet.
      Is there any GOOD examples of the difference between glass/acrylic ?
       
    18. Are glass eyes noticeably more fragile after they've been put in than acrylic or silicone? I have visions of jarring the doll's head, having the eyes unseat and shatter inside the head, leaving a mess.

      Not that I'm ordinarily a klutz, but disaster does seem to gravitate toward me.
       
    19. I prefer glass eyes because they have more shine, or how should you put it. Though I mostly have paper weight eyes that are not really realistic looking, my Caliban (Luts Cutie Delf Cory) has hazel (green/brown) Kanis Designer Eyes that are much more realistic, a mixture of colors rather than just white swirls.

      I haven't got any really good acrylic eyes. Phobos (DOD Kirill) originally had fairly good green acrylic eyes, but even they seemed a bit dull and the pupil was not really black.
       
    20. I'm a glass person. Silicone deteriorates over time, as does plastic, so I'd rather just save the money and buy glass. I have an American Girl doll from 1994 ($100 doll, very well cared for, kept out of the sun), and I could tell her eyes had yellowed several years ago, really put me off from anything but glass.