The right frame is a work of art, itself

When Tara Deegan Parmenter was a little girl in Cork County, Ireland, some of her favorite "toys" were picture frames. Her father and grandfather, antique restorers, didn't dare let her play with fragile paintings, but there were always parts of an old frame to fiddle with.

Today, Parmenter is a fifth-generation conservator who restores paintings, frames, and other decorative arts in Somerville. To her, buying the right frame is as critical as the picture you're showcasing. "I find it troubling that a lot of artists today put a lot of effort into their pieces but don't as much pay attention to the frame it's in," she says.

Parmenter likes to scout for antique frames at flea markets, auctions, and yard sales. If she's considering purchasing a frame, she'll make sure it's not warped and will check for scratches on the glass; with metal frames, she'll run her hand around the edge to check for burrs: "I find it frustrating to buy a frame and then hang it on the wall and find that it doesn't line up."

The $49.6 billion custom framing and wall décor market is cluttered with ready-made tabletop and hanging frames, typically ranging from 3-by-5-inches to 27-by-41-inches or larger. But higher-end custom framing has dramatically increased over the past few years, according to research firm Unity Marketing.

Jamie Griffith at Stanhope Framers in Boston, which carries over 2,000 frame types and styles, says customers can choose from prefinished woods or metals that can be cut and assembled to size, with prices ranging from $6 to $7 a foot. For others, hand-finished frames are built like a custom piece of furniture and can cost $40 to $50 a foot, with gold-leafing or fine staining.

"If you have a piece of art, you usually want to try to find a frame that goes with it historically, but there are no rules," says Griffith. "Try to find a frame that makes sense with the piece."

A picture can be matted, dry mounted on a board, or placed with "spacers" to keep the art from pressing against the glass. All materials used should be archival quality , especially if you are framing something like an original work of art or an irreplaceable photograph.

Oil and acrylic paintings typically appear better without glass over them, but if you're framing photos or prints, you'll want to opt for glass or Plexiglas with ultraviolet filtering capacities to prevent fading of artwork. Glass is heavier but cleans easily, whereas resilient Plexiglas offers durability while still being lightweight, says Griffith.

"The older types of Plexiglas used to get cloudy and be low-grade, but today you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between glass and Plexi," says Griffith. With anti reflection coating, your picture will be protected against the elements while still clearly visible.

You can find quality frames at any price. Even though Parmenter works with antiques, like many consumers, she still has a soft spot for a $7 bargain frame -- but even then she'll test them for durability. "I take them out of the package, poke them with my finger, see if they fall over easily, make sure the easel is sturdy and that the back doesn't easily open up," Parmenter says.

Ultimately, enhancement of your artwork is the key to framing. Stacey McCarroll Cutshaw, director and curator of the Boston University Art Gallery says of a recent exhibit, "Each and every frame enhanced the viewer experience without them even noticing."