A Guide to the Best of Southern California : DESIGN : A Sight for Four Eyes

Jewelry designer Hilary Beane walks a fine line between function and fantasy, particularly when it comes to sunglasses.

It’s no wonder her frames, some of which are on display at the “Spectacular Spectacles” exhibit at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, show up on Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elton John and Liza Minnelli. “I like going from one extreme to another,” says Beane, whose materials range from gems to mosaic tiles to fur. Glasses that are hand-paved with semiprecious stones recall the dazzling designs of the ‘40s and ‘50s, while outlandish gold-studded frames are her tribute to Africa’s Wodaabe.

She changes her optical art pieces, which go for $350 and up, to suit her whims: “One minute I’ll wear emerald-studded glasses down the street, the next I’ll go to a party in a pair of fantasy frames.”

Sunglasses by Hilary Beane are available at l.a. Eyeworks, 7407 Melrose Ave.; (213) 653-8255. “What a Sight: Spectacular Spectacles” runs through Aug. 11 at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, on the fourth floor of the May Co., 6067 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; (213) 937-5544.