Italy, 1751. Incredible piece of iron spectacles temple. The right lens signed ”Camillo Lazzarini fecit 1751 Pesaro”, indicates that it is one of the first temple spectacles depicted in the British trade card after the spiral temple from Scarlett. The power of the lenses is about -18.00 diopters. Content in impressed leather case.
England, 1770. Temple spectacles with ring ends. The lens has horn circles, Martin margins of the first type. Contained in its iron clamshell case.
England, 1797. Sterling silver ring temple spectacles, bifocal lenses. Contained in porbeagle case. One of the most ancient pieces with bifocal lenses after Benjamin Franklin’s invention in 1785. In a letter written in May 23rd, 1785 Franklin is finally pleased to have a single pair of glasses that allowed him to see both distance and near. These were two lenses with different powers, half-moon shaped and placed together in the same ring.