In the Caron boutiques, some very precious perfume extraits are housed inside gleaming Baccarat crystal and ormolu urns. The urns are called “Les Fontaines Baccarat".
Inside the sumptuous urns, are Caron’s haute couture fragrances. Once lost and discontinued, these revived scents are the some of Caron's finest perfume compositions of all time.
With the ritualistic act of filling the perfume bottle from the fountain, all of the special heritages of these perfumes live on. The parfums are collected from the small bronze taps into bottles of all sizes, which are then finished with a antique style golden braid.
The urns typically measure 18.5" tall x 7" wide and have an 8" diameter, the square base measures 5" X 5". The base will be acid stamped with the Baccarat logo.
In the New York Caron boutique, the 12 Caron fountains, were modeled after the ones in the Caron boutique in Paris. The perfume is sold by volume (7.5 milliliters for $80; 200 for $500). A full urn (which someone did buy in Paris) was for sale for about $10,000 in 2000. By 2009, a fountain containing perfume will set you back at $25,000.
The perfume is decanted right in front of you, and even though Caron does not provide a bespoke fragrance-making service, Natalie Calmettes, Caron's Paris-based creative director, says that it is not unusual for customers to personalise their scent by mixing one or two together. "Both Isabelle Adjani and Madonna come into the boutique and mix their perfumes at the fountains," she says (and Princess Caroline of Monaco is another Caron fan). "It's a way of making your fragrance unique. You can even bring in your own perfume bottle and do it yourself."
This is the current list of urn fragrances:
Inside the sumptuous urns, are Caron’s haute couture fragrances. Once lost and discontinued, these revived scents are the some of Caron's finest perfume compositions of all time.
With the ritualistic act of filling the perfume bottle from the fountain, all of the special heritages of these perfumes live on. The parfums are collected from the small bronze taps into bottles of all sizes, which are then finished with a antique style golden braid.
The urns typically measure 18.5" tall x 7" wide and have an 8" diameter, the square base measures 5" X 5". The base will be acid stamped with the Baccarat logo.
In the New York Caron boutique, the 12 Caron fountains, were modeled after the ones in the Caron boutique in Paris. The perfume is sold by volume (7.5 milliliters for $80; 200 for $500). A full urn (which someone did buy in Paris) was for sale for about $10,000 in 2000. By 2009, a fountain containing perfume will set you back at $25,000.
The perfume is decanted right in front of you, and even though Caron does not provide a bespoke fragrance-making service, Natalie Calmettes, Caron's Paris-based creative director, says that it is not unusual for customers to personalise their scent by mixing one or two together. "Both Isabelle Adjani and Madonna come into the boutique and mix their perfumes at the fountains," she says (and Princess Caroline of Monaco is another Caron fan). "It's a way of making your fragrance unique. You can even bring in your own perfume bottle and do it yourself."
This is the current list of urn fragrances:
- Tabac Blond
- N’aimez Que Moi
- Acasiosa
- En Avion
- Les Pois de Senteur
- Narcisse Noir
- Or et Noir
- Rose
- Tubéreuse
- Alpona
- Poivre
- Farnesiana
- French Cancan
1980s Caron perfume urn and cover, crystal, gilt bronze mounts and name label, drip tray. The "fountains" were created to dispense Caron's luxury fragrances. 19 in. Sold at auction for $7,000 in 2011. Photo from Perfume Bottles Auction.
I have been reading a few random posts on your website, stumbled across it while looking for reviews on Caron Fragrances. Some really interesting reading, especially the articles on dating bottles, the wonderful black and white photos of people's perfume trays and I especially enjoyed the article on perfume "nips". I also never knew there was a market for old bottles, although having read some of your pieces about the history of them it is not surprising. Thank you for the effort you have clearly put into your website and for making this information available for people like me to stumble across! No idea if you check for comments, but it is always nice to be nice isn't it.
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