BY GÉRARD DE SENS
BESPOKE EYEWEAR
One material, one pair of hands — a frame that exists once, and only for you.
The Reframe
Commissioned, not chosen
A frame chosen off a shelf belongs to everyone. A frame commissioned belongs to you alone — shaped around your face, your name set inside the temple, yours to keep and to pass on.
Born of Sens, in Burgundy
Gérard de Sens takes its name from the old cathedral town of Sens — its gothic light, its patience, its sense of things made to last. It was here Gérard founded his atelier, and here every piece still begins — in a devotion to a single, demanding material and the craft of shaping it by hand.
Buffalo horn, alive
The depth of polished stone. The warmth of wood. A texture that shifts with the light — amber to black, even to streaked. It warms to the touch, sits weightless on the face, and deepens with the years. No two pieces are alike. Buffalo horn is the rarest material nature offers to eyewear: ancient, singular, impossible to replicate.
The work of one man
Each frame is cut, filed, and polished by Gérard himself — eight weeks of quiet, exacting work gathered into a single piece. Few makers have ever mastered buffalo horn; Gérard set his own standard, his finishing and refinement recognised well beyond France — three decades of devotion to one material. Eight weeks. One pair of hands. Yours alone.
The Why
One of One
To commission is to author. You are not selecting a look; you are making something that did not exist before and never will again — carrying your name, answering to your face alone. It outlasts the season. In time, it outlasts you.
The Commission
From a conversation to a frame
The Conversation
Bring an idea, a direction, or simply yourself. We begin with the person, before the piece.
The Elements
Form, horn shade, finish, the engraving inside the temple — the choices that make it yours.
The Artwork
Your piece is drawn before it is made. You watch an idea become a design.
The Making
Eight weeks of exacting hand-work in Sens — every hour devoted to your frame. The wait is not a delay; it is part of what you commission.
The Reveal
We unveil the piece for the first time, make the final adjustments, and show you how to care for it — a moment when the whole gallery is given over to you.
Cut to your face
Every piece is measured to you — the width of your face, the bridge of your nose, the length of the temple, the angle at which a frame sits and balances. Nothing is standard, no measurement is “near enough.” The result is eyewear built entirely around your proportions and your particular needs — made to fit you, and no one else.
Named, numbered, recorded
The frame is made for you alone — and your own signature can be worked into it, through engravings and ornament chosen to your taste. Every commission comes with a certificate of authenticity, a warranty, an individual serial number, and a digital identity, recorded in the house ledger. Guardianship, made literal.
His home in Israel
Gérard’s work reaches only a handful of galleries in the world. Ours is one of them — a relationship built on a shared refusal to compromise. From his bench in Sens to the first time you put them on, the commission runs through Tel Aviv: we sit with you, take the measurements, shape the brief he works from, and see it through. His stage, and his home in Israel.
THE ACCESS
Twelve commissions a year
One master, one pair of hands, means the number is small by nature — not by strategy. We take a handful of commissions each year, by introduction. The waiting list is not a barrier; it is the beginning of the relationship.
Starts from 24,000₪
Frequently Asked
What to know before beginning a commission.
It begins with a person, not a frame. We sit down together, understand what you are looking for, and translate it into a drawing before any material is touched — you might bring a specific model, a general direction, or come entirely open. Once the drawing is approved, eight weeks of hand-work in Sens follow. At the end comes a personal handover: the unveiling, the final adjustments, and guidance on caring for the frame — the whole gallery given over to you, with a good drink and time to enjoy what you have made.
Gérard takes only a small number of commissions each year, so there are moments when a place opens straight away, and moments when the wait is longer. Leave your details, and we will tell you where things stand and when a place is likely to open.
The depth of polished stone. The warmth of wood. A texture that shifts with the light — amber to black, even to streaked. No two pieces are alike. Buffalo horn is the rarest material nature offers to eyewear: ancient, singular, impossible to replicate.
The horn comes from ecological farms in Asia, where it is gathered naturally after the animal’s death. No animal is harmed in the process, and a material that would otherwise be lost becomes a lasting work of art. The money returned to those farms and nature reserves creates a sustainable economy that keeps the ecological work going. It is an approach that respects both nature and tradition — using a rare, natural material responsibly, while making something built to last for generations.
The full range — from single-vision to progressive (multifocal) — alongside a rich selection of colours and tints. At Glassworks we fit each frame with exactly the right lenses for you, together with a comprehensive eye exam by our optometrists.
Every commission begins at 24,000₪, and the final price follows its complexity — the shade, the finish, the engravings and ornament you choose. Because each piece is made from nothing, we guide you through the options and shape a proposal that reflects exactly what you have commissioned.
Where your piece begins
Only twelve commissions open each year, and each begins with a conversation. Leave your details, and one of our client advisors will reach out personally — to get to know you, and to begin.