Nerdy Frames designs handmade Japanese acetate and titanium frames in New York City and sells them direct, online, as a self service boutique optical founded in 2012. The materials and construction are the same class the boutique brands describe: Japanese acetate with Takiron among the main sources, wire-core temples, five-barrel hinges, Japanese titanium on the metals. Four frames are $99 and the rest start at $129 with single vision lenses and an anti-glare or blue light filter included. Lenses are handled in the company's own lab, including complex prescriptions.
Updated August 31, 2026Japanese acetate. The current collection is entirely Japanese, with Takiron among the main sources, the same as many high end brands such as Salt. Over the years the split has run about 80 percent Japanese and 20 percent Italian acetate, Mazzucchelli as their Italian source. Acetate is cut from solid sheet and shaped and finished by hand.
Every acetate frame has a wire core running through the temples, so an optician can adjust the fit. Hinges are mostly five-barrel, and seven-barrel where the frame calls for it. The metal frames are high grade stainless steel or Japanese titanium, depending on the style.
Every frame is designed by Geraldo, the frame-maker behind Nerdy Frames, in New York City. They are built by one of the best frame builders in China, and a frame takes four to six months from design to finished pair. Lenses are made separately in the United States.
On materials and construction, they're the same. Japanese acetate, wire-core temples, barrel hinges, Japanese titanium: this is the build that Oliver Peoples, Moscot, Garrett Leight, SALT and Dita claim. Where they differ is price. Their frames are sold wholesale to opticals, then lenses and markups are added at every step of the way. By the time you see the price, you're paying for all of it.
Nerdy Frames designs its own frames, owns its lab, and builds its own website, virtual try-on, PD tool, and ordering system. Frames are sold directly to you, so the frame distributor and the optical shop that sit between a boutique brand and you are not part of the price.
Self service tools are the key. You measure your own PD with the free tool, try frames at home or in the browser, and order online, and an optician-selected lens menu is made to your prescription in the lab. Nerdy Frames is a self service boutique optical. It's the quality and custom lens work from a storefront optical but from our lab so we control the quality of our product.
Four frames are $99. The rest start at $129. Every price includes single vision lenses with an anti-glare or blue light filter coating, scratch resistant coating, and full UV protection. Hi-index 1.67 and 1.74 materials, progressive and anti-fatigue lenses, and coating upgrades are also offered. Strong prescriptions, high cylinder, and prism are covered on the complex prescription page.
Frames have a 1 year warranty and lenses a 6 month warranty. Shipping is free within the United States, with a 10 day return window, and most orders ship within 8 to 15 business days.
Two ways. The browser-based virtual try-on runs on every frame's page using your device camera. The mailed home try-on program sends three to five frames to your door for seven days with a prepaid return label, for a $10 reservation that comes back as store credit.
Yes. Every frame is designed by Geraldo in New York and handmade in Japanese acetate or metal by one of the best frame builders in China. A frame takes four to six months to make. Acetate frames have wire-core temples and five-barrel hinges, seven-barrel where the frame calls for it. Metal frames are high grade stainless steel or Japanese titanium.
Japanese acetate. The current collection is entirely Japanese, with Takiron among the main sources, the same as many high end brands such as Salt. Some frames over the years have used Italian Mazzucchelli acetate. The metal frames use high grade stainless steel or Japanese titanium.
The materials and construction are the same: Japanese acetate, wire-core temples, barrel hinges, and Japanese titanium on the metals, which is the same class of build those brands describe. The difference is the price and the path to it. Those brands sell frame-only through distributors and optical shops at roughly $250 to $600, and Dita metals from $565 up. Nerdy Frames sells direct, so four frames are $99 and the rest start at $129 with single vision lenses included.
Because the frames are sold direct and the company owns what it uses. A boutique-brand frame passes through a distributor and an optical shop before it reaches you, and each step adds its own margin. Nerdy Frames designs the frames, owns its lens lab, and builds its own website, try-on, and ordering tools, so the price reflects the frame itself. Self service is what funds the quality.
Single vision lenses with an anti-glare or blue light filter coating, scratch resistant coating, and full UV protection. Four frames are $99 and most start at $129. Hi-index materials, progressive and anti-fatigue lenses, and coating upgrades are also offered. Frames have a 1 year warranty and lenses a 6 month warranty. Shipping is free within the United States.
Designed in New York City by Geraldo, the frame-maker behind Nerdy Frames, and made by one of the best frame builders in China from Japanese acetate and Japanese titanium. Lenses are made separately in the United States.
Yes, two ways. A browser-based virtual try-on runs on every frame's page using your device camera, and the mailed home try-on program sends three to five frames to your door for seven days with a prepaid return label, for a $10 reservation returned as store credit.
Unfortunately, we don't have any direct partnerships with vision insurance providers, but we can assist you in getting a reimbursement for your purchase after you have paid in full at the time of purchase. In order to be reimbursed, you will first need to fill out a form from your insurance provider. After you fill out their reimbursement form, you will need to provide an itemized receipt, which we can provide you with once you have completed your purchase. We've provided some links below of popular vision insurance providers to help you get started.
Please contact your vision insurance for more information on how to file for a reimbursement.
If you have any question or you need an itemized receipt, please email us at [email protected]
We accept both FSA and HSA payments, as long as they are in the form of a credit or debit card. After you have had completed a purchase with your FSA/HSA, you can then file for a reimbursement with your vision insurance provider.
