Tortoiseshell Glasses and havana: how to choose the colour of your frame
Where the tortoiseshell pattern comes from, why it's made of acetate today, and how to choose between dark havana, light havana and shades with green or blue.
Journal · Colours
Tortoiseshell is a colour that is not a colour: a pattern of browns, amber and black that changes from one point of the frame to another. In the language of Italian eyewear it is often called havana.
All the models are in the tortoiseshell glasses collection, optical and sun, online and in the OCCHIO! boutique in Crema.
Where it comes from
The pattern echoes the shell of the hawksbill turtle, used in the past for frames, combs and small objects. Today international trade in this material is banned by the CITES convention, which protects the species. Today's tortoiseshell frames are made of cellulose acetate.
Why two havanas are never the same
A havana sheet is made by joining layers and inclusions of acetate in different colours. The front is cut from the sheet: the pattern you see depends on where it was cut. That is why two pieces of the same model in the same colour show slightly different patterns.
This also applies when buying online. The photographs on the product pages come from the brands: your piece will have the same colour, with a pattern that may vary in its shades and in the position of the spots.
Dark, light and coloured havana
Dark. Deep brown dominates, with areas that are almost black. On the face it looks similar to a black frame, but with a less sharp outline.
Light and honey. Amber and warm tones with more transparency. The frame looks lighter and lets you see the thickness of the acetate.
With green, blue or red. In some sheets the pattern includes a touch of colour. From a distance they still read as tortoiseshell; up close they reveal the shade.
How to read colour names
Every brand names havana in its own way. Cubitts uses names like Dark Turtle and Dune, TVR talks about Grey Tortoise, Lesca marks its colours with a number code, for example 424. The name alone says little: before choosing, look at the side photograph, which shows how the colour changes across the thickness of the acetate.
How to match it
A practical rule is to look at your skin's undertone and your hair colour. Warm and honey tones go well with complexions and hair with golden or copper highlights; dark havana is more versatile and also works with dark brown, black or grey hair. Here too, trying it on matters: tortoiseshell changes a lot with the light, so it is worth looking at it both in natural light and indoors.
In sunglasses, tortoiseshell is often paired with brown or green lenses, which pick up the tones of the pattern. Grey lenses create more contrast.
Six tortoiseshell frames, with measurements
- Kuboraum K26 Tortoise · 54–17–145
- AKONI Argo Tortoise/Gold · 55–17–145. Tortoiseshell with gold details.
- Lesca Pica 424 · 44–25–145
- TVR 532 Classic Circular Grey Tortoise · 44–23–150
- Eyevan 7285 414 · 46–23–145
- Cubitts Frith L Dark Turtle · 51–20–145
Where to start
In the OCCHIO selection you will find tortoiseshell optical glasses and tortoiseshell sunglasses, from AKONI to Eyevan 7285, Lesca and Sestini. For the shape, start from Round or oval glasses; for the fit, from the size guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is tortoiseshell real turtle shell?
No. Trade in hawksbill turtle shell is banned by the CITES convention; today's frames are made of cellulose acetate.
Does havana acetate lose its colour?
The colour is in the body of the material and does not wear off. Over the years the surface can lose its shine: an optician can polish it.
Is it a colour for men or for women?
Both men and women wear it. What matters is the shade and the shape.
Which sun lenses go with it?
Brown or green ones pick up the tones of the pattern; grey ones create more contrast.