A beveled mirror is a mirror whose edges have been cut at an angle and polished, leaving a sloped band that thins the glass toward the perimeter while the center keeps its full thickness. That band bends light like a prism, which is why it reads as a bright border. Accurate Glass & Mirror, a Bergen County NJ glass shop, cuts and edges custom mirrors in Lodi.
A bevel is made from the mirror's own glass, not added to it. A float glass maker's glossary defines beveled glass as glass whose edges have been "cut and polished at an angle to produce a decorative effect," and the same entry says the cut edges are then polished to a smooth, glossy finish. The result is one continuous piece: a flat reflective field in the middle, a crease where the slope begins, and a polished band running down to a thinner outer edge. Mirrors built from separate beveled strips glued around a flat center are a different construction, taken up in the answer on beveled trim.
A bevel can be single or multiple, straight or curved, according to that glossary. Curves have a practical limit: one fabricator states that its standard beveling machines work to a minimum inside radius, so a bevel cannot follow a sharp inside corner.
Bevel width is measured across the sloped band, from the crease to the outer edge. A float glass maker's glossary describes widths as typically ranging from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches. One fabricator's standard widths are 1/2, 3/4, 1, 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 inches, and its published angles flatten as the band widens, from about 12 degrees at 1/2 inch to about 4 degrees at 1 1/2 inches. A narrow bevel therefore reads as a crisp facet, while a wide one reads as a long, gentle slope.
The thickness of the sheet limits how wide the band can go. One fabricator's capability chart notes that some wider bevels are not available on thinner glass: in that chart, 1/8 inch glass takes only a 1/2 inch bevel and only on straight edges, and the 1 1/2 inch bevel starts at 1/4 inch glass. Which mirror thickness suits a given wall is a separate question with its own answer.
The sloped band refracts light, which a float glass maker's glossary describes as a prism-like effect, so a beveled mirror shows a bright outline that changes as you move past it. Where two beveled pieces meet, the effect can work against the design: a mirror maker's installation guide notes that a strongly beveled edge can show shadows or reflections in corner and joint areas.
Every edge treatment, a bevel included, also reaches the silver. A mirror sealer maker's data sheet says that when a mirror is cut or edged, the silver at the edge becomes exposed to humidity, handling, some cleaning solutions and the coolant from edging machines, and that this exposure can start black edge. A mirror maker's processing guide calls for washing processed mirror and drying it carefully, especially around the edges, and the edge can be sealed afterward. Why edges darken over time is covered in the answer on black edges.
Yes. A float glass maker's glossary says bevels can be straight or curved, so round, oval and arched mirrors can carry one. Curves do narrow the choices. One fabricator's chart limits some wide bevels on thinner glass to straight edges only, and the same fabricator's standard machines need a minimum inside radius, so a sharp inside corner cannot be beveled.
Two bevels that meet form a shallow valley, and each slope reflects the room at a different angle. A mirror maker's installation guide notes that a strongly beveled edge can show shadows or reflections in corner and joint areas. On a wall built from several panels, where the joints fall and which edge each panel carries are worth settling at the measure.
The width of a bevel is settled against the wall it will hang on and the size of the mirror, not from a chart alone. Book the free in-home measure for that wall, or bring the question to the Lodi showroom at 80 Industrial Rd on a weekday between 9 and 5 or a Saturday between 9 and 4.
