Rimless Glasses

The Cartier frames on this page are the ones in stock now; a frame comes off the page when it sells. They are optical frames and sunglasses, every one with Gold in the colour name Cartier gives it, from the C Décor line (a C on each temple), Panthère de Cartier (the panther), Première de Cartier and Double C de Cartier. Most are rectangular; the rest are cat-eye, geometric, oval and square. Some pair the gold-finish front with buffalo horn or wood temples, the frames collectors call Buffs and Woods. Each listing gives the CT model code, the line, the materials and the sizes, and our Cartier fit guide at /collections/cartier-fit-guide lists every Cartier frame we hold by eye size.

A lens edge, not a frame. Cartier's own listings describe its rimless frames as rimless metal with a smooth golden finish and do not use the phrase. Diamond cut is what custom lens shops call replacement lenses they cut for Cartier rimless frames with angled, polished facets around the edge, so the edge catches the light like a cut stone; it is their work, fitted after purchase, not something Cartier supplies. The frames here come as Cartier supplies them: the optical frames with plain demo lenses, the sunglasses with Cartier's own tinted lenses. A faceted edge is a job for a lens lab, and the frame is the same frame either way.

Not every one, and it is the optician’s call. A rimless lens is drilled and fixed to the frame, so its edge is on show and it carries load at each hole. A light or moderate prescription is usually straightforward; a strong one, especially a high minus, may need a higher-index material or sit better in a full rim, and a shallow lens can rule out some progressive designs. The optician confirms suitability with your measurements before any lens is cut. Sale frames are final sale, so settle the lens question first. Our lens guide explains the fitting.

Less forgiving than a full rim, but not fragile. With no rim, the lens is part of the structure, so a drop or a one-handed twist puts its force on the few points where the lens is drilled. A tough lens material such as Trivex or polycarbonate resists cracking at those points. Handled with both hands and kept in a case, a rimless frame is an everyday frame. A lens that moves or clicks is the first sign of trouble; have it seen to early rather than late.

A rimless frame has no rim at all: each lens is usually drilled near the bridge and near the temples and fixed with small screws or push-fit bushings. A semi-rimless, or half-rim, frame has a rim along the top only; the lens is grooved around its edge and held against that rim by a thin nylon cord along the bottom, with no drilling. Semi-rimless reads a little stronger on the face; rimless shows the least frame. This page gathers frames with no rim at all; a frame with a rim along the top stays on its brand’s page.

Put them on and take them off with both hands, holding the temples, so the lens mounts are not twisted. Set them down on their temples or in the case, never on the lenses. To clean, rinse under lukewarm water with a drop of washing-up liquid and dry with a clean microfibre cloth; paper tissues and shirt tails can scratch. Keep them out of a hot car. If a lens moves, clicks or sits crooked, take the glasses to an optician rather than tightening the screws yourself, because too much force at a drill hole can crack the lens.