Tortoiseshell glasses: the havana pattern and how to choose it

Journal · Colors

Tortoiseshell is a color that isn't quite a color: a texture of browns, amber and black that shifts from one point of the frame to another. In Italian eyewear-making it's often called havana.

Where it comes from

The pattern echoes the shell of the hawksbill turtle, once used for frames, combs and small objects. International trade in that material is now banned under the CITES convention, which protects the species. Today's tortoiseshell frames are made of cellulose acetate: the sheets are built up in layers with different color inclusions, which is why no two frames of the same model ever share exactly the same pattern.

Dark, light, and colored havana

Dark. Deep brown dominates, with near-black areas. On the face it behaves much like a black frame, but with a softer outline.

Light and honey. Amber and warm tones with more translucency. The frame looks lighter and lets the thickness of the acetate show through.

With green, blue or red. Some sheets fold a note of color into the pattern. From a distance they still read as tortoiseshell; up close, the tint shows.

How to match it

A practical rule is to look at your skin undertone and hair color. Warm, honey tones suit complexions and hair with golden or copper highlights; dark havana is more versatile and works with dark brown, black or grey hair too. The same test applies here: tortoiseshell shifts a lot under different light, so it's worth looking at it both in daylight and indoors.

For sunglasses, the most common pairing is brown or green lenses, which pick up the tones in the pattern. Grey lenses create more contrast.

Where to start

In the OCCHIO selection you'll find tortoiseshell prescription glasses and tortoiseshell sunglasses, from AKONI to Eyevan 7285, Lesca and Sestini. For shape, start with Round or oval glasses; for fit, the measurement guide.