The Porsche of Doll Eyes Versus the Volkswagon Variety

I believe that once a doll owner decides to upgrade from acrylic eyes to glass/urethane, they won't want to go back. I started off with acrylics and didn't want to shell out the money for the much more expensive glass eyes I saw. I said to myself, "Why would anyone pay a ridiculous $30-$100 for a teeny tiny pair of doll eyes?" However, I happened to see some glass eyes in person at one of my first doll meetups and I was hooked. Now, I will only put glass or urethane (my own, since I make them) eyes in my dolls' sockets! The depth of color, ability to capture light even in low lighting and the way the light bends in a great pair of glass/urethane eyes can't match most acrylic eyes. Granted, there are some excellent quality acrylics and silicones out there, but even the best of them can't compare to high-quality glass/urethane eyes.

Funny that the OP used a car analogy. When I first started driving my mother let me drive her Toyota Avalon, which is a luxury-standard car. But when I got my own car, a modest Honda Fit, I did miss the luxury features like memory seat positions, auto climate control, auto headlights, glare reduction for the rearview mirror and heated seats!

 

Urethanes are a bit out of my price range right now, though I love the way they look. All my girls have silicon eyes (one each Masterpiece, Eyeco and Soom). I haven't had too many dust problems, and I like the way they look. And they fit into oddly shaped eyewells. The Soom eyes in particular are incredibly beautiful--they always look like they're full of light. One of my dolls has red acrylics from Schwartzaugen that suit her perfectly and even sort of inspired her character, so she'll likely have those forever. I feel like acrylics don't look as lifelike in general, but certain acrylics have a really nice quality. I LOVE Volks metallics, and those are only $10.

 

Though I'm still waiting on my first BJD (come on DoD!) I've started to pick up some items, including eyes.

I got some glass eyes and I looked at them closely today and noticed they are a little uneven. When I spin them between my fingers there's a "wobble" to them. I like the look of glass eyes, though. I'm not crazy about the patterns in other eyes I've seen.

I'm wondering is this wobble normal for glass eyes? Is there a brand that makes glass eyes with more precision?

 

I think acrylics tent to look very 2D and flat. So it's kind of lifeless. I used to buy just acrylics a long time ago, then start to buy glass eyes and never bought acrylics again.

Glass and urethane is my preference.

 

I've had acrylics, glass, handled silicone, seen urethane, and still prefer acrylics over them all. It's not a price range thing, if I want that super expensive set of eyes, I'll get them somehow, it's just that I like clear, bold, and not super shiny.

I know I'm an odd one in this, but that flat, almost animated, quality of acrylics that most collectors avoid is exactly what makes me prefer them. I think Safrin Eyes are my favorite, and I also really like SoulDoll's eyes, both purposely not all that realistic, but still highly detailed and very pretty.


My only complaint with acrylic is that bad acrylics sometimes come out very pixelated when sized up or down from the size they were designed on. Silicone can do this, too.



However, this comes from a person who owns her dream car; a Volkswagen Beetle.

 

I totally agree.

 

The key word is reflectiveness. Different materials have different levels of reflectiveness, so they'll feel differently in your doll (eve the same colour!) This will lend to the difference in mood achieved.

Most of the glass eyes are hand made if I'm not mistaken. if you're worried of the uneven-ness of the eye as a whole (the white ball area), I'd say you can relax. They'll be hidden inside the doll. If the iris edge is uneven, that can be labeled as fault in quality.

I wish that's my only complaint with acrylics. They seem to catch so little light that even in a normal room, if you don't reflect some light to the doll's face, you'll mostly get dark pools as their eyes when you photograph ><;

 

i prefer silicone eyes. after my first soom pair (picked for color) it was like omg i loves. however i will say i have one doll who will always be in acrylic eyes. and that's cause omg the color of the ones i have are perfect and just that pure bright neon blue that is his color.

 

Both glass and urethane eyes are handmade, so absolute precision is impossible. However, within normal ranges of quality it will not be noticeable once the eyes are in, as was said earlier.

 

It makes the difference. And even if ther eare amazing cheap glass eyes, and I have some of my dolls in them, I have to say that, so far, my most favourite eyes are some pairs that I purchaset at 90$ the pair. And I will get as much urethane Dollwflowers as i can afford, they are simply otherworldly (I have other urethanes, like enchanted doll, everpurple, gumdrops, dollshe... nothing compares to the dollflowers, I swear)

 

If I could ever find a pair of DROPROPS in the size I'm looking for/need, the quest would be over. They are my HOLY GRAIL of eyes. I like the way glass looks, but I have yet to see the depth in glass I have seen in urethane eyes. Maybe one day some one will show me a pair that I just can't live without, but for now I still stalking the elusive pair of Duck blue 12mm DROPROPS.

- ShadowHawke -

 

Acrylics: Are my perfered eyes, Mostly because I can take them apart and add my own custom color onto them, and they are so cheap that I never worry about losing on money if I have to replace them, the "Flatness" that ppl complain about is nothing more then poor positioning and sizing and make of the acrylic eyes, yes they are cheap but I've seen plenty of acrylic eyes that are amazing in person and photograph beautifully. You've just got to know where to look.

Sillicon: No to crazy about them, I only have one pair in my collection, like Acrylics I've had to hunt high and low for a good quality pair that I was happy with. Theses are too easily ruined if you not ubber careful with them.

Glass: These area very basic eyes, nearly all dolls have a pair of glass eyes. but As I said before there are some problems with the make of some pairs. while others are fine. I have several pairs of Glass eyes, and I like them because they are sturdy

Urethane: I have only one pair, And it will probably be my only pair...they feel less sturdy then glass, like they could be easily scratched and ruined, Which does not justify the price of buying other pairs. I'll stick to glass and acrylics Thanks.

 

Thanks, that good to know then. I took a picture of them just to see how they photograph. You can't really tell and they are not even pointing in the same direction. Now I just hope the "dome" shape doesn't cause a problem putting them in. >.<

 

Almost all of my crew are wearing glass eyes from Kanis Augen--I love the depth, the handmade aspect, and the way they feel. But I agree with earlier posters that you never can tell what is going to look good in a doll. I have one guy in Souldoll acrylics--they're "his" eyes, nothing else has come close to capturing his character.

 

I'd take VW over a porsche any day. And I personally hate my VW.

Anyways! I have three dolls in acrylics and two in glass. I love the acrylics I have, the photograph wonderfully, the color really does stand out without an overly high amount of effort put into lighting them. Well any more effort then for glass.
My glass eyes are perfect for the dolls they are in just as the acrylics are perfect for the dolls wearing them.
The right pair in the right doll with the right position matter more then the type.

 

I have eyes that are like this also. It's not uncommon. Sometimes one is a little bigger than the other also ....

I guess when you receive them like this you have to be careful when you take photos of them in the dolls.

 

My favorites are glass. I've owned multiple urethanes before, but I always end up selling them because even though the color and clarity are supurb, I like the reflection off of glass the best. The way glass looks seems more "organic" than other eyes... I can't really explain it, heh!

I have two dolls wearing old CH glass eyes which have SUPER high domes and very marked threading. However, they are the only 2 dolls in my collection that can pull off eyes like these, because they both wear very large sizes(20mm and 18mm). These particular eyes don't have nearly the same effect in a smaller size(I've owned them in size 16mm too). So it really depends on the size of the eye too. I like urethanes best in small sizes myself(14mm or less).

I have a friend who only has her dolls in silicon eyes, and they look fantastic in her dolls! Her dolls are very realistic types with small eye sizes, so the human-like iris of silicones suits them very well.

 

Urethanes all the way! They have wonderful depth, clarity, and tracking and come in any color I could ever want. They really give dolls that extra special something. Some brands have more threading than others -- like Dollshe, Mystics, and Gumdrops -- while others, such as ED and Droprops, are more clear. So there's a choice depending on the look I want, more realistic or less so.

I do like high quality glass eyes like Kanis Augen too, but they don't usually come in the colors I want. Cheaper glass eyes can look very nice too; they're not my top pick for permanent eyes, but they don't bother me at all.

I generally loathe acrylics for my own dolls, though there are a few brands (such as Souldoll) that have nice colors and depth. Silicon eyes can be pretty, but I have a big fluffy cat so I'd never even consider them. xD

 

Okay, question from a newbie...what's the difference between high-dome and low-dome eyes?? Is one better than the other?

 

It is preference. I prefer acrylic since they have more varying shades within one eye. Real eyes are a mixture or many many colors, and no glass eyes I have seen have really achieved this to my satisfaction. So I prefer acrylic.

Though glass looks better from the side and has a nice weight and feel. I have had both. My girl wears acrylics.

I dunno about urethane or silicone though, I have not seen any that I go WOW for like I see with acrylics.