Every year, Guerlain reveals their ‘Exceptional Piece’ – a creation in collaboration with an artisan which truly showcases scent itself as a work of art. For 2022 get ready to gasp at Le Secret de la Reine, created by jeweller Laurenz Bäumer – a wearable brooch with a fragrant trail…
While utterly exquisite, this piece might not exactly end up on our Christmas lists (particularly as there are only two in the whole world!) but we are doing a bit of pretty perfume pieces window shopping, here, and wanted to sigh at the scented delight of the piece all the same. Guerlain says:
‘Designed to be worn as a brooch or pendant with a fragrant trail, the diamond set Queen Bee hides a magic secret in its heart. Gently apply pressure on the pear-shaped diamond adorning its body, and its wings open to reveal a delicate lace of gold in a honeycomb pattern. These alveoli form a precious olfactory material which can hold one of Guerlain’s perfumes.’
Says jeweller Lorenz Bäumer:
‘With Le Secret de la Reine, I have made a very old fantasy come true.
That of adding another sense to jewellery, which is about sight and touch: the sense of smell.
Thanks to Guerlain, I was able to achieve this idea and to create the first perfumed jewel of High Jewellery.’
Echoing his sentiments, and describing their decision to use their iconic bee emblem as a ‘messenger of happiness’ symbol for the piece, Guerlain explains:
‘Exalting the Bee, the quintessence of the Guerlain spirit since it landed in 1853 on the Eau de Cologne Impériale bottle, this precious piece glittering with diamonds, in Onyx and white gold, creates the perfect collaboration between High Jewellery and Fragrance…’
Melding art and fragrance, how we hope more collaborations between artisans and fragrance creators allow us to wear our love for perfume in fragrant jewellery form!
Enchanted and looking for more gorgeous scented snippets? You can read the history of Guerlain’s bee symbolism and the fascinating story of how the fragrance house began in our brand page dedicated to Guerlain. Happy scented sighing!
