Crown Archive Collection · Made before 2020
- Eye size
- 48 mm
Cate brings a subtle cat-eye lift to a compact, 1940s–1950s-inspired silhouette. Angled eye corners give the shape definition, while vertical-grain East Indian rosewood transitions into quartered white ebony at the outer edges. The temples reverse that sequence, beginning in white ebony and continuing into rosewood.
East Indian rosewood
Native from the Indian subcontinent to Myanmar, with populations in the Andaman Islands and Java, East Indian rosewood has a place in musical history: Martin uses it for the back and sides of its D-28 guitar. Here, its warm brown colour and dark vertical grain give Cate a finely striped centre and temples.
Quartered white ebony
SIRIS identifies its white ebony as Diospyros malabarica, a tree native to tropical Asia, including Laos. Singapore’s National Parks Board documents the wood’s use in boatbuilding—a practical craft history behind its striking pale-and-dark character. On this frame, the quartered wood brightens the outer corners and the beginnings of the temples, with its grain arranged vertically.
East Indian rosewood and quartered white ebony over a cotton fiber and wood pulp composite substrate.