Why Finnish Birch? How Nina Mûr Builds a Wooden Frame
TL;DR — Nina Mûr uses laminated Finnish birch because thin, layered birch is light, flexible, and far more stable than a solid block of wood. In its Madrid workshop the brand makes its own plywood, curving it from the start so frames follow the face and resist cracking. Each frame is roughly 85% made by hand across more than 80 steps, then finished with steel temples and Italian acetate tips.
Quick answer: why Finnish birch specifically?
Because birch laminates give you the best of wood without its worst habits. Solid wood is beautiful but temperamental — it can warp, crack, and split, especially in a thin, stressed shape like an eyeglass front. Nina Mûr sidesteps that by laminating thin layers of Finnish birch into plywood, which is dramatically more stable and stronger for its weight than a single piece of wood. Finnish birch in particular is prized for being flexible and resistant. The payoff is a frame that is genuinely wooden, genuinely light, and genuinely durable, rather than a fragile novelty.
What does "making their own plywood" actually mean?
It means Nina Mûr does not start from a bought sheet — it builds the material itself. In the Madrid workshop, the team stacks thin, flexible layers of Finnish birch and laminates them into plywood, and here is the clever part: the plywood is shaped into a curve right from the start. Most manufacturers cut a flat sheet and then try to bend it into a face-following shape afterward, which fights the material. By curving the laminate as it is formed, Nina Mûr gets a front that naturally hugs facial contours, sits more comfortably, and is far less likely to warp or crack later. It is a small process decision with a big effect on how the frame wears.
How is a Nina Mûr frame actually built?
Slowly, and mostly by hand. Nina Mûr says about 85% of each frame is made by hand, over more than 80 individual steps. Those steps include hand-painting the color, laser-cut detailing for precision, and careful final assembly — all carried out by skilled artisans rather than an automated line. The frame is not just wood, either: the fronts are birch, the temples are stainless steel for strength and easy adjustment, and the temple tips are Italian acetate for comfort where the frame rests behind your ears. Three materials, each doing the job it is best at.
Wood, steel, acetate — why three materials?
Each solves a different problem. Here is how the build breaks down.
| Part | Material | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Front | Laminated Finnish birch | Light, warm, stable, curved to fit the face |
| Temples | Stainless steel | Strength and easy adjustment to your head |
| Temple tips | Italian acetate | Comfort and grip behind the ears |
Pure wooden temples would be either bulky or fragile; a steel core keeps them slim and adjustable, and the acetate tips add the comfortable, slightly grippy contact point that bare wood or metal cannot. It is a considered piece of engineering hiding inside something that looks handmade and simple.
Does handmade mean less consistent?
A little variation is the point, not a flaw. Because so much of the frame is finished by hand and painted individually, no two are perfectly identical, and the grain of the birch varies naturally from frame to frame. Some people want machine-perfect uniformity; if that is you, wood may not be your material. But if you like the idea that your frame is a specific handmade object rather than one of ten thousand identical injection-molded copies, that subtle individuality is exactly what you are paying for. To see where this philosophy comes from, read the Nina Mûr brand story.
Where to see the craft at Gazal Eyecare
Handling one tells you more than any description. Look at the optical Diana ($495) or David ($495) to feel the curved birch front, or the higher-detail Lina ($665). Browse the full Nina Mûr collection at Gazal Eyecare to compare grains and colors.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Nina Mûr use Finnish birch?
Finnish birch is light, flexible, and resistant, and when laminated into plywood it becomes far more stable than solid wood, which can warp or crack. Nina Mûr builds its own curved birch plywood so its frames are wooden and ultra-light but also durable and shaped to follow the face.
How are Nina Mûr frames made?
In Madrid, Nina Mûr laminates thin layers of Finnish birch into curved plywood, then hand-builds each frame across more than 80 steps — including hand-painting, laser-cut detailing, and assembly. About 85% of each frame is made by hand, and it is finished with steel temples and Italian acetate tips.
Why do the frames have steel temples instead of wood?
Stainless-steel temples keep the arms slim, strong, and easy to adjust to your head, which pure wooden temples cannot do as well. Nina Mûr adds Italian acetate tips at the ends for comfortable, grippy contact behind the ears, combining three materials so each part performs its best job.
Are laminated wood frames stronger than solid wood?
Generally yes. Laminating thin layers of birch into plywood produces a material that is stronger for its weight and much more resistant to warping and cracking than a single solid piece of wood, especially in a thin frame front. Curving the laminate from the start adds further stability.
Is every Nina Mûr frame identical?
No, and that is intentional. Because the frames are largely handmade and hand-painted, and because natural birch grain varies, each frame has small individual differences. This gives every pair a handcrafted character rather than the machine-perfect uniformity of mass-produced injection-molded frames.
The bottom line
Finnish birch, laminated into curved plywood in a Madrid workshop and hand-built over 80-plus steps, is the reason Nina Mûr frames feel light, warm, and durable at once. Add steel temples and acetate tips, and you get a wooden frame engineered to actually be worn every day. Explore the Nina Mûr collection at Gazal Eyecare to see the material up close.