Copper and Perfume Making: The Hidden Magic Ingredient of Artisan Spirits & Fragrances

Posted on May 09, 2017 by Matriarch Blog

  

 The creation of HIGH PERFUMERY is not achievable without copper.

House of Matriarch has incorporated copper into our branding, packaging and presentation as a constant reminder of the Venusian and alchemical foundations of perfume making.  We are always receiving compliments on our packaging, and since people are usually not accustomed to seeing copper in a brand's aesthetic, they often refer to our color palette as "blue and gold". This makes us very happy and we take the opportunity whenever this occurs to educate and draw attention to the alchemy that has taken place within their observation.  Changing copper into gold is the foundation of alchemy itself!

Copper by Christi Meshell

Copper was the first metal used by humans - known by the ancients and modern day alchemists as the "metal of Venus" - perhaps due to it's malleability - perhaps for it's beauty - or maybe because of it's high thermal and electrical conductivity.  Perfumery itself has connection with Venus as the Goddess of Love and Beauty.  How interesting that copper is the "Metal of Venus" and is absolutely essential to perfume making! 

Shown here is the copper still at Glass Distillery in Seattle where the spirits used for House of Matriarch perfumes originate.  While most perfuming alcohol is produced in stainless steel industrial grade factory-like distilleries, this small batch copper still causes reactions that remove undesirable notes/flavors in the distillate and make it 'smoother'.  Without copper, the distillate would smell sharp and unpleasant, overpowering the delicate top notes of our natural perfumes. 

 

 The color of copper is difficult to describe - and to replicate.  The shade is an enigmatic, rainbow effect of reds, golds and beige under magnification.  Ephemeral, it is always changing.  Oxidization adds shades of turquoise and green - known as verdigris. 

 Is it a coincidence that one of the largest statues in the world depicting a woman is made of verdigris copper?  Nope. The Statue of Liberty was modeled after the goddess Ceres who has had strong connotations to both Nature and Venus throughout mythology. 

It has been challenging in a world of "will that be silver or gold?" to find the components needed to complete our packaging - everything copper has to be custom made and even then it is very difficult to achieving a "match" with copper.  Even the Pantone shade is not really copper.  House of Matriarch feels it is worth the extra effort -both from an alchemical sense and an aesthetic one and tells of the level of effort and care we take in creating and presenting our fragrant creations to the world. 

Posted in 2017, aesthetic, alchemical, alchemy, american made, aroma, art and business, artisan, branding, caps, cobalt, compose, conductivity, Connection, copper, craft distillation, Creation, distillate, distillation, energy, ethanol, Glass Distillery, Goddess, gold, grapes, Greek Mythology, halal, High Perfumery, high spirits, House of Matriarch, Love and Beauty, malleable, marketing, metal, METATRON, perfume spirits, Staute of Liberty, Top Perfumes 2017, Venus, vodka

We believe in magic: House of Matriarch Named as Finalist for Best Branded Video Campaign by Taste TV

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Matriarch Blog

TASTE TV has announced that House of Matriarch’s “We Believe in Magic"  video marketing campaign for the Nordstrom 2015 retail launch has been previewed and named as a finalist for the Ferrara Flame Award for Best Branded Video Promotion/Campaign and also for Best Branded Program.

We share this honor with our director and branding team, GIRVIN Design, product stylist Michael Kennedy, producer Jennie Lake and cinematographer Jenessa Joffe of Thousand Faces Media, and cinematographer Adrian Rhetoric of Lamda Entertainment. 

Here are a few behind the scenes pictures from the Trillium shoot:

Mood board for initial vision for the Trillium video.
Michael and Christi creatively collaborating on product styling before filming
Michael perfecting the product on set
Adrian is willing to do whatever it takes to get the shot
Mission accomplished! The final look all comes together in the end.
The whole team who made the magic happen

Posted in Adrian Rhetoric, american made, art and business, artist, awards, beauty will save the world, brand, Christi Meshell, GIRVIN Design, high perfumery, house of matriarch, indie, indie perfume, Jenessa Joffe, Jennie Lake, Lamda Entertainment, luxury fragrance, made in Seattle, made in USA, magic, matriarch, Michael Kennedy, nature is the ultimate luxury, new brand, new luxury brand, Nordstrom, northwest, Olympic Peninsula, Pacific Northwest, taste awards, taste tv, Thousand Faces Media, ultimate luxury, We Believe in Magic

BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY PERFUME - NEW Liquid Music Track

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Matriarch Blog

Have you ever wondered what Richard Ashcroft was walking towards in The Verve's famous music video for their hit "Bittersweet Symphony"? We believe he was headed for a chocolate shop: what else could explain such a singular focus?
Our latest Liquid Music track embodies the broody and melancholic overtones of that epic urban hymn with an unexpected, bitter opening of henna, dong-quai and spikenard.  As the lyrics scream "I can change" so does the perfume, from bitter to sweet, breaking out of the mold of today's cloying mainstream chocolate themed fragrances.  
 
A chorus of blended teas, bittersweet Dutch process cocoa and alluring spices invite the sharp tones to linger, and they lend a very special magic to the bitter chocolate accord.  Bourbonesque charred woods, hints of warm amber and a touch of oud create a velvety, harmonic drydown that takes a full five hours to develop on the skin and lasts overnight.  
  
Created as a bespoke gift for one who cherishes this song, it develops in such an extraordinary way, we decided to offer it as part of our ongoing retail Liquid Music collection. Bittersweet Symphony is available in a 3ml Sample Size,
 a 30ml Decant eau de parfum, and a 100ml Disco Ball Decant eau de parfum (shown above).  

Posted in arrtisan, art, art and business, Art and Perfume, artisan, artisan fragrance, artisan perfume, artisan perfumes, bespoke, Bittersweet Symphony, Christi Meshell, fragrance creation, fragrance design, high perfumery, House of Matriarch, limited edition, Liquid Music, luxury fragrance, luxury perfume, made in Seattle, made in USA, niche, perfume, private label fragrance, Richard Ashcroft, songs, The Verve