Niki de Saint Phalle c1982

"dangerous but worth the risk..."

Niki de Saint Phalle was launched in 1982 in association with Jacqueline Cochran, Inc..

Depose and Deponiert: and other French and German marks

This guide with help you translate some of the most common words that are found or may be found on French or German antiques and vintage collectibles.

Occasionally in the world of antiques, you may come across a mark, DEP, which could mean either Depose or Deponiert. This mark is commonly found on German or French bisque dolls, celluloid,  porcelain, jewelry, glass or metal goods. Dep stands for the German word Deponiert which means registered, or copyright. Dep is also a shortened form of Depose which is French for registered.

Without knowing a manufacturer or country of origin, it is safe to say that if your item is marked DEP, it is most likely of French or German manufacture.

Here is a short list of other words related to patents or other markings found on German antiques:

• Angestrichen mit der Hand: handpainted
• Besteuern Sie Steuer: excise tax

Sometimes DEP is accompanied by GES to form the following mark DEP/GES, the GES is an abbreviated form of the word Geschutz, if you see this mark, your piece is of German origin. Sometimes people think that Geschutz is a manufacturer, in reality it only means "protected against copying" in German.

• DRGM, a German patent mark that stands for Deutsches Reich Geschmacksmuste
• DRP is German for Deutsches Reich Patent
• Fabrikmarke: factory mark
• Frankreich: France
• Gegr. : an abbreviated form of the word gegrundet which means established/founded
• Gebruder: brothers
• Ges. Gesch. : abbreviated form of Gesetzlich Geschutzt: legally protected, patented, copyrighted
• Ges. Mbh: company or corporation
• Glashuttenwerk: glassworks factory
• Glassmanufaktur: glassworks factory
• Hochfeine: fine quality/high quality
• Juwelier: jeweler
• Kristall: crystal
• Kunststoff: plastic
• Kupfer: copper
• Musterschutz: copyright
• Papierstoff: papier mache
• Porzellanfabrik: porcelain factory, this mark is sometimes on the back of dinnerware.
• Abteilung: department
• Schutzmarke: trade mark
• Silber: silver
• Steingurfabrik: stoneware factory
• Tschechoslowake: Czechoslovakia
• Verboten: prohibited
• Waschbar: washable
• Werkstatte: workshop/studio
• West Germany: used from 1948-1991 (useful in dating vintage costume jewelry)
• Zelluloid: celluloid
• Zettel: label
• Zinn: tin/pewter
• Zoll Abteilung: customs department

Here is a short list of other words related to patents found on French antiques:

• Alliage: alloy
• Antiquité: antique
• Argent: silver
• Atelier: studio
• Brevete: this word is commonly found on French items and some people mistake it fo a manufacturers marking, but it simply means patented.
• Bté. SGDG: means "patented." It is shortened from the phrase Breveté Sans Garantie du Gouvernement  which means "Patented without State Guarantee."
• Cie./Compagnie: company
• Cristallerie: glass factory
• Cuivre: copper
• Cuivre jaune: brass
• Decore a la main: hand decorated
• Decore par: decorated by
• Département de douanes: customs department
• Depose: registered
• Drapier: clothier
• Email: enamel/paint
• Etain: tin
• Et Fils: and Son
• Etats Unis: United States
• Exciser l'impôt: excise tax
• Exportation: export
• Fabrique Par: manufactured by
• Grand Magasin: department store
• Impôt: tax
• Joaillier: jeweler
• le Celluloïd: celluloid
• le Plastique: plastic
• Marque déposée: trademark
• Marque de Fabrique: this word means trade mark.
• Millésime: vintage
• Métal: metal
• Modele Depose: Registered Design
• Or: gold
• Orfevre: silversmith
• Peint à la Main: hand painted
• Porcelaine Fabrique: porcelain factory, sometimes found on the back of dinnerware.
• Ste. : an abbreviation for Societe
• Tcheqoslovaquie: Czechslovakia
• Vendeur: seller
• Verrier: glassworker
• Verrerie: glass works factory

Uninhibited by Cher c1988

"Uninhibited. Bottled, but not contained."

In 1988 Cher decided to introduce her own line of perfume. Called “Uninhibited,” a name that seemed quite appropriate for Cher, the line debuted with much fanfare that year. Distributed by Parfums Stern in association with Avon.

Audace by Rochas c1936

Audace by Rochas: launched in 1936. Pronounced "oh-doss'. The perfume was created by Marcel Rochas. The couturier was fond of saying that, "One should notice the scent of a woman before even seeing her."

Mai by Shiseido c1968

Mai by Shiseido: launched in 1968.

Parce Que! by Roberto Capucci c1963

Parce Que! by Roberto Capucci: launched in 1963.

Madame by Philippe Venet c1968

Madame by Philippe Venet: launched in 1968.

La Perla by La Perla c1987

La Perla by La Perla: launched in 1987. The perfume was created by perfumers of IFF in 1987.

Feerie by Rigaud c1938

Feerie by Rigaud: launched in 1938. Also labeled as Feerie Moderne.

Silver Alloy Marks and Trade Names

In this guide I will outline the numerous silver alloy marks and trade names that have been used throughout the world on antiques and collectibles.

Many of these marks can confuse the buyer, dealer or collector if they aren't knowledgeable in the different trade names and alloys.

Please note that these markings and trade names are not for sterling silver. I have listed as many trade names and types of alloys as I can find.

Breathless by Charbert c1933

Breathless by Charbert was launched in 1933.

Deborah International

In the 1980's, Omni was launched as a bargain designer impression fragrance by Deborah Richman and distributed under the brand Deborah International.

Other perfumes in the Deborah International line included her versions of popular fragrances of the day:

• Gypsy/Georgi Girl (Giorgio)
• Hemlock (Halston)
• Omni (Opium)
• Enamoured (Obsession)
• Kleo (Chloe)
• Leora (Lauren)
• Olivia (Oscar de la Renta)
• Adore Adore (Anais Anais)
• Tamarind (Shalimar)
• Forever Innocence (White Linen)
• Satin & Lace/Satin Glass  (White Shoulders)
• Immortal (Joy)
• Gypsy Rose (Giorgio Red)
• Wisdom (Knowing)
• Everlasting (Eternity)
• Winds (Wings)
• Sahara (Safari)
• Miz (Liz Claiborne)
• Secret Potion (White Diamonds)
• Abstractions (Realities)
• Passages (Red Door)

Fragrances for Men:

• Aegean (Aramis)
• Player (Polo)
• Hunter (Halston Z-14)
• Prince (Giorgio for Men)
• Jaguar/Jagged (Drakkar Noir)
• Everlasting (Eternity for Men)
• Magnet (Obsession for Men)
• King of Hearts (Giorgio Red for Men)

She boasted to People Magazine that her products contained the same oils and essences as those of her competitors. “Everything I do is first class,” says Richman. “Estée Lauder doesn’t spend any more on her components than I do.” Richman turned to Quality King, a large distributor of drugstore products that agreed to invest $5 million in her venture. Then she hired one of the top perfume formulators in the world.

Graffiti by Roberto Capucci c1963

Graffiti by Roberto Capucci: launched in 1963.

Help! My Perfume Has Sediment or is Dark

I have had the floaties in some of my old perfumes too, which is mainly due to the decomposition process of the perfume. If you collect vintage perfume you will notice some of the resins that collect in the bottom of the bottle.The sediment is actually the natural oils and essences coagulating as they start to break down. The alcohol and water inside will probably start to evaporate slowly over time and you will be left with a thick, syrupy concentrated perfume residue inside.

This is normal, particularly if your scent contains natural materials. It is caused by the continued settling over time. It is a process that happens from the disintegration and oxidation of the natural perfume ingredients and evaporation of the alcohol/water mixture. Also some (some naturals in particular) aren't completely soluble in alcohol and or water and can make their way into bottles and settle after some time of remaining still.

Natural absolutes such as jasmine absolute, which upon ageing DOES produce sediment. The book Modern Technology of Perfumes, Flavours & Essential Oils (2nd Edition) mentions that jasmine's "absolute darkens on ageing becoming deep red and deposits a greyish sediment following prolonged storage."

True cold pressed bergamot oil can contain wax sediment and a dark green brown cloudy colour. Bergamot oil may be tested as to its purity by mixing it with alcohol. It becomes pale gray-yellow, forms a sediment which adheres firmly to the vessel and, on shaking, floats about in the form of flakes. After two days the sediment is inconsiderable and difficult to divide into flakes in the clear yellow fluid by shaking.

Resins, gums and balsams will eventually ball up and float in the perfume too. Benzoin essential oil is resinous and thick and becomes more so as it ages, as does myrrh and frankincense. Essential oils produced from resins and woods tend to be thicker in viscosity. Some plant based ingredients such as patchouli, marigold, vetiver and vanilla also age into thickened resinous compounds. Some of these thicker oils can start to decompose in the perfume and coagulate, forming small dark colored balls as the water and alcohol in the perfume start evaporating. This is the beginning of the end of your perfume. If you start to notice these, you best try to finish your perfume before it completely evaporates into that syrup I mentioned before.

So to find sediment in sealed vintage perfumes is going to be a natural occurrence due to the natural ingredients used.

Now the clouding could also be natural breakdown of ingredients as well as I have had newer spray perfumes that I purchased factory sealed from authorized retailers, and somehow the clouding and or sediment process started without any tampering of the contents. Clouding in splash bottles can also mean that the perfume had water added to it to make the bottle appear more full, however, the clouding will not completely clear. If you have clouding in your spray bottles,check around the collar of the bottle to be sure it was not tampered with or removed and replaced at one time.

In the case of factices (dummy) bottles, the sediment and floaties are actually particles of bacteria from the water used in the liquid. Bacteria will not grow in bottles that contain alcohol.


With all the talk of perfumes changing color, I made a quick guide here to help explain why your scent has changed.

Essential oils tend to darken with age via a process of oxidation. if you perfume has these components, it will absolutely darken as it ages. Some of these ingredients turn dark yellow, red or brown as they age.

If an ingredient contains a a phenol as a component, and are highly subject to oxidation, thus it will darken, or redden, with age. A phenol odor is typically medicinal in character. Phenols can smell pungent and spicy such as eugenol, the characteristic odor of clove. Eugenol occurs in other natural oils such as ylang ylang, cinnamon and rose.

These natural ingredients will darken with age:

• absinthe
• angelica
• anise
• arnica
• basilic
• caraway
• celery
• chamomile
• cinnamon bark
• clove bud oil
• estragole
• eugenol
• expressed bergamot
• ginger
• jasmine absolute
• juniper
• karo-karunde
• labdanum
• lavender
• lemon
• mint
• myrrh
• neroli
• orange blossom
• pennyroyal
• pepper
• peppermint
• pimento
• rhodium
• rosewood
• rue
• sage
• sandalwood
• sassafras 
• spearmint
• spikenard
• sweet marjoram
• tansy
• thyme
• valerian
• vanilla
• ylang ylang

Miss Zadig by Emilio Pucci c1973

Miss Zadig by Emilio Pucci: launched in 1973.

Offenthal

Offenthal of Paris.

Lucienne Offenthal was a purse maker established at 24 rue de la Paix, Paris in 1925. Sold perfume under the "Pompadour" name in the 1920s - 1930s. Launched Ce Soir ou Jamais.

The "Pompadour" shop was 78 Champs Elysées, Paris. (in 1929)

vintage, c. 1924, "Ce Soir ou Jamais" perfume presentation from Offenthal, Paris. The champagne bottle sits in a French trunk box. There is a paper in the box that reads: "A Merry Christmas from David and Blum Inc."  The cover was hinged originally, but now detached. Inside is satin with a few minor stains. The 3 1/2" high bottle has a label on the front that reads: "Ce Soir ou Jamais." Another label toward the base, but on the side of the bottle reads: "Offenthal, Paris." Images from worthpoint.

David & Blum were glove importers from New York.

The Glovers Review, Volume 29, 1929:

"Andre David, Norman Blum and Joseph Isaacs, of David & Blum, Inc., glove importers of New York, together with Jacques Frankel, former merchandise manager with Franklin Simon & Company, have organized Pompadour Toiletries, sole American distributors of a French perfume, "Ce Soir ou Jamais."

IPBA Annual Convention 2018

It's getting to be that time of year again! The International Perfume Bottle Association's annual convention will be held in Tyson's Corner, VA from April 26th, 2018 to April 29th, 2018.


A three-day extravaganza featuring the world's premiere exhibition and sale with the field's leading dealers featuring thousands of bottles and an internationally recognized auction. The convention draws together collectors and dealers from around the world.

https://www.perfumebottles.org/upcoming-convention/3868/Annual-Convention-2018

Last year, I was finally able to attend a convention, held in Princeton, NJ, and while I was only there for a few short hours, I got to take some photos of the exhibits and items for sale by our friendly members.