Altered Glass Perfume Bottles

Occasionally one might come across an unusual colored perfume bottle. One might be inclined to think that this might have been a special limited edition or even perhaps a prototype. More than likely, the bottles have been artificially induced via radiation (sometimes done with the aid of a microwave or industrial good sterilizer). This would cause some glass to be a deep shade of purple or amber. from what I have read online, this appears to devalue a bottle, but some people collect these flacons for their aesthetic beauty rather than their investment value.

In the case of these Guerlain flacons, they have been intentionally artificially induced to an amber shade and older bottles are also artificially altered into the purple shade.

Please do not purchase these bottles in the hopes that it is "rare" or a "limited edition".

the same ebay seller (iluvjax) is irradiating old bottles hoping to get higher prices for these very common bottles.

Irradiated Carre flacon, with wrong stopper.

 Ebay seller (clancy_kid) is irradiating old bottles hoping to get higher prices for these very common bottles.

Rouge de la Cour by Guerlain c1910

Rouge de la Cour by Guerlain, introduced in the mid 19th century and was still being sold around 1910. This was sold as Court Rouge in the Guerlain catalogs, but was better known by the name rouge en tasse "pink saucers". It was item #434 in the Guerlain catalogs.

The pink saucers, also known as rouge de theatre, consisted of carthamus rouge (rouge vegetal) or carmine  mixed with a few drops of almond oil, and with mucilage of gum tragacanth, and spread upon porcelain or glass disks, which would have then be brushed on the cheeks with the fingers, a small puff, a piece of flannel, swab of cotton or a brush.

original image from a Guerlain catalog

photo by Lombrail-Teucquam

Cheek rouge, pressed into small glass pot. c1880-1915. Photo from imworld.aufeminin

Flacon Amphore (Amphora) c1955-1982

Flacon Amphore (Amphora) c1955-1982

Used for extraits from 1955 til 1982. Also known as Flacon Ode as it was first used for the perfume Ode. The frosted and clear glass bottle is in the shape of an amphora with draped motifs and topped with a stopper molded in the shape of a rosebud. Some early bottles (1955) will have a gilded plastic rosebud screw top. Bottle made by both Baccarat and Pochet et du Courval. I have also listed the most common and the most rare perfumes that can be found in this bottle.

Used for extraits of:

• Shalimar (very common)
• Jicky (very common)
• Ode (very common)
• Chant D'Aromes (very common)
• Liu (very common)
• L'Heure Bleue (very common)
• Mitsouko (very common)
• Chamade (very common)
• Vol de Nuit (very common)
• Sous Le Vent (scarce)
• Une Fleur (rare)
• Jasmin (rare)
• Vetiver (very rare)
• Dawamesk (extremely rare)
• Fol Arome (extremely rare)
• Coque D'Or (extremely rare)
• Fleur de Feu (extremely rare)
• Cuir de Russie (extremely rare)
• Champs Elysees (extremely rare)
• Kriss (extremely rare)
• Rue de la Paix (extremely rare)
• Guerlinade (extremely rare)
• Une Rose (scarce)
• Parure (scarce)
• Atuana (rare)
• Chypre 53 (extremely rare)
• Heliotrope (scarce)
• Kadine (extremely rare)
• Pois de Senteur (scarce)
• Mouchoir de Monsieur  (extremely rare)

Baccarat Flacons:

• 40cc/40ml/1.35 oz - 14,5cm/5.71" (1955)
• 80cc/80ml/2.7 oz - 18,3cm/7.2" (1955)

Pochet et du Courval:

• 15cc/15ml/0.5 oz - 11.5cm/4.53" (1959) ground glass rosebud shaped stopper, changed to plastic rosebud screwcap in 1978.
• 20cc/20ml/0.676 oz - 11.5cm/4.53" (1955): gilt ground glass rosebud stopper

Ode c1955, photo by thenonblonde blog

Mitsouko, photo by ebay seller sam_in_barbate

Chant d'Aromes, c1962, photo from ebay

Vol de Nuit, photo from worthpoint

Jasmin, 1950s, photo from worthpoint

L'Heure Bleue, photo from worthpoint