This is the first step in the production of a lens during which what we call “blanks”, the optical glass raw material is transformed into a round lens.

The crystal is produced for Barberini by leading companies whose production cycles and special furnaces guarantee absolute transparency and low light dispersion without any defects of inclusion, bubbles etc. like in the best quality optical lenses used for precision optical tools. The spherical surface of the lenses is progressively obtained with diamond tools. Afterwards the lenses are polished with abrasive liquids. High grade finish is obtained even ultra thin wafers destined to polarized lenses. Strict process controls verify that the thickness is precise as well as the total absence of aberration and optical defects.

When dealing with lenses destined to particularly wrapping sunglasses, the ray of vision is deviated and causes visual problems. Our eye is strained to “virtually” correct the image deviation. The current trends, especially for sportswear, favour strongly curved sun lenses. Barberini’s R&D projected and produced a technology that allows to obtain a lens called “prism corrected” (decentered) which means that the optical axis of the lens is places parallel to the line of vision. This eliminates the image deviation and gives absolute comfort even with more sophisticated sunglass styles. On all decentered lenses a computerized machine marks a sign through a laser ray- all automated- that serves to show the optical center of the lens so that it will be well positioned when edged and consequently correctly assembled into the frame.