Spectacles

The frame of these spectacles is made of silver but it is not hallmarked, which would make them easier to date. Several features suggest that the glasses were made in the first half ot the 19th century. The side arms of these spectacles are completely straight and made in two parts joined by a rivet, or turn-pin, which could be bowed to the shape of the head. This design was used from the early 19th century to around 1880.
X-shaped nose bridges were popular throughout the 19th century, but round lenses became less common after 1820.

The English maker of scientific instruments, James Ayscough, began experimenting with tinted lenses in spectacles in the mid 18th century believing that blue- or green-tinted glass could correct specific vision impairments. They were also used for sun protection.