Rarest Eye Color and the Best Glasses to Match

Table of contents

What is the Rarest Eye Color?

The Rarest Eye Colors and the Best Glasses to Match

Are Violet and Red Eyes Really Natural Eye Colors?

What Is Heterochromia?

Best Glasses for Heterochromia

Should Glasses Match or Contrast With Your Eye Color?

Other Factors to Consider When Choosing Glasses

Quick Guide to the Best Glasses Colors for Each Eye Color

Find Frame Colors to Match Your Eyes at Donahugh

Frequently Asked Questions

Choosing Glasses That Complement Your Natural Features

As can be seen, eye color ranges from much more than most people realize and some shades are far less common than others. It also helps to identify the rarest eye colors, which can help you select one of the most enjoyable aspects of buying glasses: eyeglasses frame color that matches your natural features and accentuates your eyes a little more.

This guide will help you identify which rare eye colors are most prominent and also recommend the best glasses color for each eye color from green, gray to amber, hazel, blue and brown. Also, we'll discuss heterochromia (eyes that have more than one shade) and how to handle it when your eyes don't match. While eye color is a good first look at frame color, the type of skin, hair, face shape, and individual style all play a role, so use these as guidelines, not requirements.

What is the Rarest Eye Color?

Among the less common natural eye colors around the world are green, gray and amber. It is difficult to determine the rarest eye color in the world because there are several different ways of calculating percentages, and different sources quote different figures, and the figures would differ depending on the country of origin, the ethnicity and the method of measurement.

So it is more accurate to think of these as a small group of uncommon eye colors rather than a strict ranking.

Eye color is determined by genetics, melanin and the reflection of light on the iris.

The Rarest Eye Colors and the Best Glasses to Match

We'll examine these different eye colors, their appearance, their distinctiveness, and the type of glasses frames that suit them best.

Green Eyes

The eye color green has a lively and a jewel-like appearance and is one of the rare eye colors noticed most. Glasses for green eyes look best with strong contrasting colors like burgundy, plum, purple and gold, which create a contrasting effect against green. Warm brown, gold or tortoiseshell frames are good for a more relaxed everyday style, and rose gold is a lighter shade.

Gray Eyes

A gray eye may look silver gray, blue-gray or green-gray and will change depending on the lighting and what the bearer is wearing. Glasses for gray eyes that create more contrast include black, gunmetal, and navy; silver and cool toned tortoiseshell are more subdued and harmonious. Deep blue frames are somewhere between the two approaches.

Amber Eyes

Amber eyes are warm golden, honey, copper, or yellow-brown with a glow. Dark brown, gold, bronze, and tortoiseshell frames can enhance amber tones. Yellow glasses create a warm, tonal look, while olive or deep green sunglasses add gentle contrast.

Hazel Eyes

Hazel eyes can appear green, brown, or gold, and their dominant color may shift with the light. Burgundy or plum frames highlight green tones, while gold, brown, or tortoiseshell frames emphasize warmer brown and gold tones. If gold is dominant, yellow tinted sunglasses can create a cohesive, sun-warmed look. The best choice depends on which color you want to bring forward.

Blue Eyes

Blue eyes are less common than brown eyes worldwide. Glasses for blue eyes offer two approaches: blue sunglasses, blue-gray, or silver frames for a similar tone, or brown, copper, tortoiseshell, and orange sunglasses for more contrast. Black and gray remain versatile options.

Brown Eyes

Brown is the most common eye color worldwide, but styling it still offers plenty of variety. Black, gold, tortoiseshell, and burgundy designs are classic choices for best glasses for brown eyes, while green and navy frames create a more distinctive look. Another versatile option is transparent frame sunglasses, which keep attention on the eyes.

Are Violet and Red Eyes Really Natural Eye Colors?

Gray blue or very light blue eyes are usually described as violet looking and are very rare in nature and usually a result of lighting or photography. In rare cases, there is very little pigment in the iris and a person may have red or pink looking eyes. Better to be safe than say purple is the rarest eye color in the world.

What Is Heterochromia?

Heterochromia is when there is a significant difference between the eye color, and this can manifest itself in one of several ways. With complete heterochromia, each eye is a completely different color from the other. A sectoral heterochromia is when one iris is a different color from the other. In central heterochromia, there is a ring of a different color around the pupil, which fades into the iris color outside of the ring.

Best Glasses for Heterochromia

Neutral frame colors, black, silver, gold or tortoiseshell, help to neutralize two colors in the eyes and not stand out as much. If you prefer a particular eye color, choose a frame that will accentuate it, such as navy or gold for blue/blacks, burgundy or olive for green/browns. There are no right or wrong answers here, it's more about what feels right for you.

Should Glasses Match or Contrast With Your Eye Color?

When it comes to matching, it's all about a softer, more harmonious appearance, such as blue eyes with navy frames or green eyes with olive frames. Contrasting can make the eye color pop out at you like green eyes with a burgundy ring, or blue eyes with a warm brown or copper ring.

Other Factors to Consider When Choosing Glasses

Eye color can be a good guide but a person's decision shouldn't be based entirely on eye color.

Skin tone: Toned frames, brown, tortoiseshell, or olive frames might be more suitable for a warm-toned skin, while the cool-toned varieties of silver, black, gray, or navy frames might be better for a cold-toned skin. The following are generalizations and not rules.

Hair color: Dark hair is often a good match with black or deep tortoiseshell frames, blonde hair is a good match with gold or light tortoiseshell frames and red hair can often combine well with brown, green or gold tones.

Face shape: As a basic rule, angular frames often suit round faces, while square faces can work well with softer or rounder shapes. Oval faces suit a wide range of styles. For more detailed shape advice, see our guide to the best sunglasses for round face styling. Here, however, we are focusing on eye color.

Quick Guide to the Best Glasses Colors for Each Eye Color

Eye Color	Recommended Frame Colors
Green	The Colors are Burgundy, plum, gold and tortoiseshell.
Gray	The Color is Black, silver, navy and gunmetal.
Amber	These are various shades of brown, gold, bronze and olive.
Hazel	Various colored animals such as tortoiseshell, burgundy, green, and gold.
Blue	The colors are navy, silver, brown, and copper.
Brown	Black, gold, green and tortoiseshell glans.

Find Frame Colors to Match Your Eyes at Donahugh

However, after you've determined which frame colors you think will look best with your eyes, it's time to find a frame that will actually look great on you; colors can be different online than they are in natural light. Whether you're using rare eye colors or common eye colors, Donahugh is likely to have a starting point for you in his eyewear collection, which comes in everything from tortoiseshell to black, gold toned to deeper burgundy and olive.

Frame colors and finishes differ by style, so check each Donahugh product page for the exact shade and finish before purchasing. Materials can affect color depth and pattern too: acetate sunglasses, for example, may show more variation and translucency than metal frames. Terms such as "tortoiseshell" or "gold" can cover a range of tones, so compare a few options with your own coloring.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Eye Color Is The Rarest?

There isn't a single eye color that's the rarest, except that some of the rarest eye colors are green, gray, and amber. The vast majority of experts consider these three to be a small group of rare colors, and do not declare one color to be the clear winner in all populations around the world.

If Amber Eyes Are The Same As Hazel Eyes?

No, they're distinct. A more even color of gold, copper or honey is more common in amber eyes. The eyes of hazel tend to be green, brown, and gold in color and the dominant color may change depending on the light and what person they are in the presence of, so hazel eyes don't really seem to be as consistent.

What Color Glasses Would Be Best to Wear for Green Eyes?

The best contrast with green eyes are the warmer colors of burgundy, plum and purple. If you want to look more natural, and don't necessarily want something that's as extreme as some of the other options, gold or rose gold can be used to help stand out green eyes, too.

Would You Like to Have Glasses That Match Your Eyes?

Not always, it is based on the desired appearance. Linking the color of a frame to an eye can make it look more muted and harmonious, but contrasting colors can make the eye color stand out more and look more vibrant. Either method can be employed, and it depends on their fashion and choice.

Choosing Glasses That Complement Your Natural Features

There isn't any strict rule to follow when it comes to picking a frame color that enhances your eye color, skin tone, hair color, face shape and your style; it's about picking the right one that brings those all together. If you've got one of the rarest eye colors or one of the more common eye colors, the most superior pair of glasses to choose will be the ones that complement the features of your eyes without looking like they're anything but your style.