Collecting Perfume Bottles

From Ancient Egypt to today, perfume and the bottles they come in have been highly valued and are highly collectible. But, how do you know if a perfume bottle is vintage or antique? How do you know what to collect?

Let’s start with this caveat. At Rare Bird Antiques, we believe first and foremost in collecting what you love.  It is not always about money. We believe you should love it, or you do not have room for it. Our philosophy aside though, if you are looking for investment purposes, here is what you should know.

Basics of Perfume Bottles

Perfume bottles are typically made of glass and have a stopper made of the same material. They have a rounded bottom and are filled with deliciously scented perfume. To dispense the lovely liquid, one would tip the bottle slightly wetting the stopper and use the stopper to apply the perfume to one’s neck and wrists. However, the perfume bottles were not always sold with perfume in them. They were also sold empty to allow the user to fill the beautiful bottle with the scent of their choice and display

it on a vanity or dresser.

Perfume Bottle Design

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, perfume bottles were bespoke creations of glassmakers. With industrialization, mass production came along but the design of the perfume bottle remains an important part of the creation. The design is meant to portray the mystery that lies within the bottle, and that mystery is only revealed when the scent itself is released.

According to Perfumania, Robert Ricci of the House of Nina Ricci once said, “ A perfume is a work of art, and the object that contains it must be a masterpiece.”

Perfume bottles have been designed in many shapes and colors, but the intent is always the same – to enhance the mystery of the perfume and to be as beautiful as the perfume itself.

Perfume Bottle Manufactures

From designers such as Tiffany, Stuben and Lalique to glass manufacturing companies such as Thomas Webb & Sons, Stevens & Williams Glass Company and the New England Glass Company (to name a few), manufacturers sought to produce unique designs deserving of the perfume they were to hold. Each company had designs unique to the company.

Tiffany & Co. perfume bottles were short and stumpy crystal bottles. They had hobnail bottoms with intricately carved silver caps that encased the crystal stopper. However, they have taken many shapes, colors, sizes and styles over the centuries depending on the designer used.

Steuben, used there trademarked Verre de Soie technique to create bottles wrapped with glass threads and an iridescent base. Lalique, a famous jeweler incorporated his jewelry making techniques into producing perfume bottles for perfumier Francois Coty.  He utilized his technique called cire perdue (also known as lost wax) to create a milky opalescence.

As you can see, each manufacturer had a different (and sometimes many different) style for their bottles. Some used many different designers, and some styles are hallmarked by the process used to create them. When collecting, you should do some research.

Steps to Collecting Perfume Bottles

• First, we recommend determining whether you want to collect antique or vintage perfume bottles. What is the difference between an antique and a vintage perfume bottle? Antique implies an item is one hundred years old or older. To be vintage, most define it as 25 to 100 years old. Keep in mind age and condition will greatly affect the price.
• Price point is always a determining factor. Bottles can be purchased for just a few dollars all the way up the spectrum depending on many factors. Age, quality and designer being some of the main points.
• There are many different types of perfume bottles from miniatures and atomizers to stoppered perfume bottles. Different types of glass, production processes and styles offer many, many choices to choose from.
• Time period, some collectors stick to Art Deco or Art Nouveau for example. Other collectors have bottles ranging in time periods.

The main thing, as we stated in the beginning, is to collect what you love. The adventure is in the hunt and the joy is in the collection. Do not hide them away, display your collection proudly and of course, insure them accordingly.