Some of the most precious commodities in life are held in glass. In the case of perfume, this is packaging a beautiful smell in something beautiful to see and touch. The perfume bottles used by the manufacturers are beautiful and frequently designed by famous artists and designers. In addition there are multitudes of specially made bottles to put perfume in so it is easier to use, with either with a dabber for application to the skin, or an atomizer to spray into the air.
Commercial perfume bottle.
Originally perfumes were so expensive that they were only used to sweeten offerings to divine beings, living or otherwise. Court practices in Ancient Egypt also allowed for the placement of a wax cone infused with perfumes on the wigged heads of the diners at banquets. As the heat in the room built, the wax would melt and release sweet smells, perhaps as an antidote to the other smells that were also building in the room.
A cut glass perfume bottle with a silver top.
Perfume has also been used to mask odors, both near and far, for centuries. A scented handkerchief was used to block the odors of medieval streets, and until regular bathing caught on, perfume on the body helped hide other aromas.
Perfume bottle in the Murano style.
Perfume bottles generally come in two types, heavy glass, which would include the original packaging, and very light, thin bottles. The original bottles are quite often colored, but are generally transparent so the amount of perfume in the bottle is easily seen. Hand made glass perfume bottles may not be so transparent, but the beauty of the glass makes this only a slight drawback. In fact, many people collect hand-blown glass perfume bottles without ever intending to actually put perfume in them. A display of beautiful perfume bottles in one’s boudoir is wonderful even if they are all empty. Antique perfume bottles are also interesting decorator items in a boudoir.
Egyptian-made perfume bottle.
The other type of glass perfume bottle is very light, thin glass, and must be handled with care. In recent decades the glass blowers in Egypt have begun making beautiful bottles with intricate shapes and delicate colors. The colors are usually pastel and transparent, with touches of gold. The stopper usually extends into a dabber for applying the perfume, and the dabber is usually the first bit to break. Check any perfume bottles you are purchasing for this problem. The bottles are not expensive, so large arrays of the various shapes and colors are possible, even for collectors with budget limitations. Dealers with these perfume bottles can usually be found at trade shows, like the International Gem Show, or the commercial buildings of state fairs.
A perfume bottle with an atomizer.
Perfume bottles with atomizers attached are used to mist a room with the perfume, although the atomized spray can also be directed onto the person. The tube and bulb are usually rubber, and therefore are subject to the vagaries of time. Old perfume bottles may come with an atomizer. Keep the bottle and atomizer together until you have determined the value of the bottle with the original atomizer and without. There may not be any point to saving the defunct rubber parts, but I would keep them until I was very sure they were not needed. An old bottle may come with a replacement atomizer anyway, so some research is definitely needed to determine if the atomizer is valuable. Erring on the safe side would be keeping the atomizer on the bottle and finding a modern perfume bottle with a new atomizer if you want to actually use it.
Cut glass perfume bottle.
Perfume bottle, old and new, large or small, heavy or delicate, make a wonderful glass collectible. Like many collectibles, massed in groups they can be quite inspiring, and there is a lot of fun in the hunt for bottles you do not have. And if they come with the perfume, your can come out of the search smelling sweet.
The images on this post are from Stock Xchnge.
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