SD FAQ

You can see many, many pictures of eyes at Nikita's BJD EYE Database.

There is no type of eye that is "the best"; the choice is purely up to you. Some people find that they only like glass eyes. Others prefer the look of acrylics. Some people will only use soft glass. And others still will use different types depending on the doll and the sort of look they are after. If you can't decide, your best bet is to look at a lot of pictures of eyes actually in dolls, as opposed to just the eyes by themselves. See if you prefer how people's dolls look with glass, soft glass or acrylic. And if you're still not sure, just buy one pair and see. If you really aren't happy, you can always resell them later and get something you like better!

Please be aware that the eye types and companies listed below are not the only ones that can be used in your SD. There are many brands and types of eyes available out there. These are simply an example of the brands and types that seem to be the most popular amongst SD owners.

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Volks has a recommended eyesize for each of their dolls, however, the rules are not set in stone. Some people prefer to go up or down an eyesize, to get a different look for their doll. Going one size larger (ie 20mm instead of 18mm) gives your doll a younger look, while going one size smaller (ie 16mm instead of 18mm) tends to give them an older look. The choice is up to you. However, if in doubt, just ask on Den of Angels.

That said, Volks recommends, for the regular releases:

24mm for standard Rio.
22mm for standard Sara, Nana, Megu, Kira, and Nono.
20mm for standard Mimi, standard Ryo, SD13 Nono, MSD Sinsya and Miisha.
18mm for SD13 Sara, Nana, Megu, Kira and Mimi, all the SD13 boys.
16mm for all the MSDs except the two fairy types.

For the limited editions, this is the eye sizes they come with:

22mm for Sweet Dreams Nono, Sweet Dreams Nana, Ria, and Chii.
20mm for Leona, Licht, and Lady Sylvie.
18mm for Chris, Michael, Cecile, Sweet Dreams Nono, Aya, Shirou Tachibana, Anais, Sasha, SD Ken, SD Mika, KyoTenshi, Kai, Tsukasa Konoe, Madoka, and Sweet Dreams Lucas.
16mm for Lucas, Asami, Sundy, Elza, Sweet Dreams Myu, and Hewitt.
14mm for Akira, MSD Ken, MSD Mika, and Yuni.

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Volks Zoukeimura eyes are a very high quality range of glass eyes. They come in 27 different colours, although all eyes are only available via the Full Choice System. Many people find these eyes to be a much superior quality to many other glass eyes. The colours are very clear and pretty and they come up quite dramatically in photographs.

Volks Zoukeimura eyes are only sold in Volks stores by buying a full choice system doll.

For a full list of colours with example photos, please check here.

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Volks HG eyes are a cheaper range of glass eyes that Volks has released. Many of their general release SD and limited edition SD now come with HG eyes. There are 14 standard colours available, as well as a few custom colours that are only available with the limited edition SD they were made for. Although cheaper, they are still a good quality eye. Like the Zoukeimura eyes, the colours are very clear and lovely and photograph very nicely.

Volks HG eyes are only sold in Volks stores. Their selling price is 2,800 yen for 14mm, 16mm, and 18mm, and 3,300 yen for 20mm and 22mm. You can buy them via a shopping service.

For a full list of colours with example photos, please check here.

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Antique Rose are another very high quality range of hand-made glass eyes. It's said that they are made by the same company that makes Volks Zoukeimura eyes. The first 22 colours in the Antique Rose range match the Zoukeimura colours, however they have a much wider range of colours; there are 51 'normal' colours available, and 18 'gradation' colours. (Gradation colours are combinations of two colours in the one eye.) Like the Zoukeimura eyes, many people find these to be truly top quality, and they are lovely colours that come up very bright and strong in photographs.

Antique Rose only sell their glass eyes through specific dealers. They are all hand-made and so are not ready until one month after being ordered. The price is 6,800 yen for normal colours, and 8,800 yen for gradation colours. Currently, you can buy Antique Rose eyes at Yuzuko's online store, The Jewel Under Eyelids. Yuzuko accepts PayPal and ships internationally.

You can find the colour charts of the normal colours and gradation colours at Yuzuko's site. Yuzuko also maintains a database with pictures of various Antique Rose eyes in dolls. There is also a Japanese database with pictures of the eyes in dolls.

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Schwarz-Augen are a Japanese company that sells several different ranges of acrylic eyes. They specialise in making more unusual types of eye colours and styles than your average eye seller. Currently, they have four different ranges of eyes available: Candy Eyes, coming in a range of candy-like colours with no pupils; Gothic Eyes, coming in silver, gold and white, with either no pupils, small pupils, or normal pupils; World Eyes, a more normal range of blues, greens, browns and violets but with an unusual swirling pattern to the colour; and Spirits Eyes, again in a range of blues, greens, browns and violets with an unusual, starburst-like pattern. Schwarz-Augen eyes are very pretty and unusual, and great if you like a more unique look for your doll.

Schwarz-Augen eyes can only be purchased via their website, and only if you are in Japan. Therefore, you need to use a shopping service to buy from them. Also, they sell out quickly and so are often out of stock of many of their eyes. If you see eyes that you want available, it's suggested that you buy them quickly! The range in price from about 880 yen (for Spirits Eyes and World Eyes) to 2,980 yen (for Candy Eyes) to 3,980 (for Gothic Eyes).

For a full list of styles and colours with example photos, please check here.

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Masterpiece eyes are made of what's called 'soft glass'. They have the appearance of glass, but are soft and bendable to the touch. They are also sometimes referred to as 'silicone' eyes, particularly on Japanese websites. They are hand-made and come in a wide range of colours, and they also allow you to request your own custom colours. In addition, they make metallic eyes, jewelled eyes (with a jewel instead of a pupil) and can do custom colours and shapes for pupils. Some people much prefer them to glass eyes, while others find them difficult to use and photograph. In the end, it's a matter of taste, but don't dismiss them out of hand just because they're different -- Masterpiece eyes can be very lovely.

Masterpiece are an American based company. They sell their eyes directly through their website as well as through approved dealers. The most well-known dealer on Den of Angels is Karin Bussman. Pricing for Masterpiece eyes starts at around $25-$30 for standard colour 16mm eyes, to $30-$35 for standard colour 22mm eyes. Custom colours, metallic colours, custom pupil shapes or colours, etc, will cost extra on top of the base price.

Karin Bussman keeps a database with pictures of various Masterpiece eyes in dolls. You can also find a huge number of lovely example pictures of Masterpiece eyes in dolls at Eyedia, a Japanese dealer for Masterpiece.

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EyeCo are an American based company that makes two different types of eyes; the 'Platinum Glass Designer Series', a range of soft glass (silicone) eyes, and the 'Masterpiece Design Series', a range of acrylic eyes. Both ranges of eyes come in some lovely colours; there are 19 soft glass colours and 10 acrylic colours available. Although their range is not as varied as Masterpiece for the soft glass, they are a good cheaper alternative, and the prices on their acrylic eyes are even more affordable. Some people love their colours and find them very vibrant both in real life and in photographs, while others find them less realistic looking than glass eyes.

EyeCo only sell directly via their website if you are ordering over $100 worth of eyes. However, many doll shops in America and around the world stock EyeCo eyes. You can check their list of distributors, or ask on Den of Angels for other members' prefered places to buy EyeCo eyes. Prices range from $17-$22 for the soft glass eyes, and $8-$11 for the acrylic eyes.

You can check out EyeCo's range of soft glass eyes here, and their acrylic eyes here. As of yet, no-one seems to have put together a good database for them.

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Tallina's Doll Supply is a well-known online doll shop that sell their own range of glass eyes, called EG eyes. They are quite nice quality eyes, seeming to be somewhat similar to Volks HG eyes, although their range of colours is a little more limited. Like the HG eyes, the colours are quite nice and clear and come up very pretty in photographs.
Tallina's also sell several ranges nice acrylic eyes. These are very affordable and are said to be quite good quality eyes, especially for the price!

Tallina's EG eyes can be bought directly from their website. They offer substantial discounts (55% and more) for bulk orders of more than 7 pairs, so ordering several pairs at a time, or doing a group order with friends (this is done fairly regularly on Den of Angels) is a good way to save yourself a lot of money. Tallina's EG eyes range in price from $25-$32 for 16mm-22mm eyes -- participating in a bulk order could get you a pair of eyes for as little as $10! The acrylic eye range in price from $3-$8 and also qualify for large discounts on bulk orders.

For a full list of glass eye colours with example photos, please check here. Please check the Tallina's Doll Supply website for pictures of their acrylic eyes.

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Animetic eyes are a range of acrylics that Volks have released fairly recently. Instead of the 'realistic' look of most glass and acrylic eyes, Animetic eyes are specifically designed to imitate the style of eyes that are used in anime. (Japanese animated TV shows and movies.) These eyes seem to be more aimed at some of their other ranges of dolls, but some people have found they give an interesting effect to SDs.

Animetic eyes are only sold in Volks stores. Their selling price is 2,800 yen. You can buy them via a shopping service.

For a full list of colours and styles with example photos, please check here.

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