A Sardinian tradition in eyewear
- Andrea makes eyewear using an ancient knifemaking technique
- His favourite material to work with is buffalo horn
- His pieces combine modern technology and traditional hand tools
After graduating in industrial design and working in Florence as an interior designer, Andrea Dentoni returned to his native Sardinia to respond to a regional call for the development of new projects. "I proposed to breathe new life into the ancient local tradition of working with buffalo horn to create knives, only applying it to eyewear," Andrea says. In 2017, he opened his workshop Arias Eyewear, a play on words with the initials of his daughter and wife, in Cagliari. Today, he makes his glasses using rasps, files and polishers combined with digital tools, such as CNC, 3D design software and 3D printing. Andrea names his eyewear models after Sardinian Nuragic divinities, and marks each piece with a note that reads, 'Handmade in Sardinia'.
INTERVIEW
I start by using a CNC machine, which guarantees correct measurements, then I work the frame entirely by hand. I generally use buffalo horn, but I also work with other materials such as bio-acetate, wood and aluminium.
I draw inspiration from eyewear from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, studying photos, films and celebrities. My frames strive to have an intrinsic elegance, with a strong but never intrusive character.
Influenced by my background in interior design, my work involves the use of CNC cutting, as well as 3D design software and 3D printing for prototyping. I combine these 3D tools with traditional instruments such as rasps, files, grinding wheels and polishers.
People might not know the scale of effort that goes into making a single pair of glasses, from selecting the design, to taking facial measurements and starting the production process. Currently most of us artisans use social media to promote our artworks, and it is difficult to tell the story of every unique piece.
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