Alambic by Perfumes Jacques Heim c1930
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Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Sunday, April 7, 2024
Antique French Cut Crystal and 950 Sterling Guilloche Toilette Set
I wanted to share with you something straight out of my own personal collection. This lovely antique toilette set dates to the late Victorian era and into the Edwardian era. It comprises of a cologne bottle, a parfum bottle, a powder box and a hair brush. I could only imagine how lovely the complete set would have looked.
The bottles and the powder box are made up of heavy, clear cut leaded crystal, cut from top to bottom in a ribbed pattern so that when the light catches the facets, they sparkle beautifully. The rounded bases are cut flat and fire polished so that they will sit correctly on a dressing table. The bottles are fitted with a crystal inner stopper with notched edges for grip. The inner stopper helps seal the bottle so that it will not spill when traveling. It also keeps the costly perfume from evaporating.
The collar of the bottles are solid 950 silver which looks elegant in my opinion. The over caps for the bottles, the lid for the powder jar and the brush are also made up of solid 950 silver and are engine turned with a guilloche pattern on the top. Guilloche refers to a pattern etched into a metal surface by means of engine-turning with a lathe-like machine called a "tours à guilloché." A circle in the center of the pieces was meant for a monogram, but they have not been monogrammed.
The smaller bottle stands 4" tall with stopper in place x 2.25" diameter. Based on the size, it was used to hold perfume (parfum). The larger bottle stands 5.25" tall with stopper in place x 3.25" diameter. Based on the generous size, it was used to hold eau de cologne or eau de toilette, which were meant to be used liberally all over the body.
The collars and caps of the bottles, the hair brush and the lid for the powder jar are all stamped with the "Minerva head" assay mark used in France accompanied with the number one at the forehead. This number indicates this is the finest grade of silver used in France, which was 950, higher silver content than sterling silver which is 925. French silver marks are usually very small and hard to read due to being partially worn from polishing or wear over time.
The French assay mark for solid silver, the head of the Roman goddess Minerva in profile, has been used since 1838. The mark is used to denote the standard of a piece of French silver. There are two variants of the mark, one for 800 grade (80%) silver and one for 950 (95%) silver. The higher standard is 950 parts per thousand, or 95% silver, and is referred to as 1st Standard. The French refer to it as "Minerve 1st. Titre" or "argent massif." Pieces with Minerva marks bearing the number one (near the forehead) are of .950 quality and are often considered "sterling" even with the higher silver content.
The manufacturer's punch mark is also stamped on the collars, brush, lid and caps. This diamond shaped lozenge is what French silversmiths used to mark their silver. Normally a combination of initials and a symbol are used. In this case, the diamond shaped lozenge has the letters "SF" with an anchor in between the letters. This was the mark used by Saglier Frères when used on silver, not silverplate. The mark was entered in 1897, 12 rue d’Enghien, Paris.
To see these items and more photos, you can view them and other treasures in my etsy shop, TresorsduBoudoir.
Do you collect toilette sets?
Saturday, April 6, 2024
Le Dandy by D'Orsay c1925
Le Dandy by D'Orsay: launched in 1925. Created by Henri Robert. The perfume's tagline was originally "the first blossoms of early summer" as found in a 1927 newspaper ad.
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Projets by Worth c1936
Projets by Worth: launched in 1936. The name was changed to "Clear Sailing" when sold in the United States.
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Friday, March 8, 2024
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Luyna
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Friday, February 16, 2024
Peut-Etre by Lancome c1937
Peut-Etre by Lancome: launched in 1937. The name means "perhaps" in French. The perfume was renamed "Qui Sait? in 1954, because it was easier for non-French speaking customers to pronounce.
Welcome!
One of the goals of this website is to show the present owners of the various perfumes and cologne brands that are featured here how much we miss the discontinued classics and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back these fragrances!
Please leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the fragrance, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or what occasion, any specific memories, what it reminded you of, maybe a relative wore it, or you remembered seeing the bottle on their vanity table, did you like the bottle design), who knows, perhaps someone from the company brand might see it.
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Faking Perfume Bottles to Increase Their Value
The issue of adding "after market" accents to rather plain perfume bottles to increase their value is not new to the world o...