CERF BOIS EYEWEAR is entirely handmade in a small workshop located in the midst of forest-covered north-western Germany.

The various kinds of horn used in the manufacturing of CERF BOIS EYEWEAR, come from a variety of sources: from India and South-east Asia for water buffalos, to Argentina for grazing buffalos, or from Europe in the case of deer horn.

The first step, in the case of buffalo horn, is to cut-out an 8-centimeter-wide band, near the base of the horn (where it is the largest) and to flatten it into a rectangular plate of approximately 20 centimeters in length. The thickness of the plate varies according to the species and age of the animal, but is about 5 millimeters.

The flattening is done by immersing the cut-out band of horn into warm water and then pressing the plates together, by group of 20 to 30 plates at a time. This flattening process has to be done very slowly so that it doesn’t damage the inner structure of the horn. This process usually takes several months.