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 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
Posted on March 17, 2017 by Matriarch Blog
House of Matriarch reveals the costs associated with their HIGH PERFUMERY creations explaining why their fragrances for both men and women are more costly than designer scents.
1) QUALITY & COMPLEXITY OF BLENDS House of Matriarch perfumes are between 95 and 100 percent natural. Blends are very complex with between 100 and 300 individual notes. Many of the raw materials are scarce and highly valued - in the world of perfumery they are known as "noble materials". In comparing the market price on the commonly used essences of natural jasmine, rose and sandalwood against their synthetic replacements you will notice that those natural raw materials are on average 100x more expensive. Natural fixatives of ambergris, hyraceum and ambrette add an additional layer of luxury (and their associated cost) to the formula.
2) SUPERIOR DISTILLATE The ethanol used to create House of Matriarch perfumes is distilled from Washington grown, organic grapes in the copper still pictured below - it happens right here in Seattle at the famous Glass Distillery. Mass market perfumes are blended with industrially distilled corn alcohol with de-naturants added. (The real culprit behind most "perfume allergies") The distillate used to create our perfumes is 10x more expensive than regular "perfumers alcohol - it is pure enough for creating medicinal tinctures and for pharmaceutical compounding - it also considered Halal. Ethanol comprises up to 70% of the fragrance and is the secret for creating a perfume that improves with time, instead of degrading after a few years like mass produced fragrances. House of Matriarch perfumes are the only brand marked with the vintage year - because this kind of ethanol allows the perfume to improve with each passing year like a fine wine.
3) HANDMADE Matriarch perfumes are produced by hand in small batches and filled by our Pefumer by hand in Seattle, WA. Designer fragrances are made by machine; mostly in overseas factories with no personal touch. House of Matriarch offers a direct connection to the Perfumer - there are no other fragrance house involved - this is rare and special.
4) RELEVANCE EQUALS VALUE House of Matriarch perfumes do not smell like anything else on the market. There are no short-cuts or less expensive ways of achieving this level of relevance and distinctiveness without the materials and methods that we use to make our perfumes. Mark-up is slim compared to the designer brands who add thousands of percentage points to the actual cost of production to cover the costs of issuing countless free samples and to compensate expensive spokes models. This makes House of Matriarch perfumes a better VALUE than other perfumes.
5) WORTH THE PRICE Artisan perfumes are not for everyone - they are not simple toiletries - they are aimed at the connoisseur who is looking for an elevated fragrance experience and who expects to pay more for the qualities our perfumes embody. Many people who cannot wear conventional fragrances due to allergies find House of Matriarch perfumes delightful. In this case, the price informs the customer of the quality they can expect when they experience our fragrances.
As always, let your nose decide!
Posted in 100% natural, 100% natural perfume, allergies, american made, apothecary, aroma, artisan fragrance, artisan perfume, artisan perfumes, artist, better with time, christi meshell, costly, distillation, distinctive, epicurean, essence, essential oils, ethanol, exotic, expensive, fine fragrance, fragrance, fragrance house, halal beauty, halal perfumes, high perfumery, luxury, luxury fragrance, luxury perfume, made in Seattle, made in USA, magic, manufacturer, more expensive, natural perfume, natural perfume manufacturer, nature, new perfume, niche, noble, organic, perfume, price point, raw materials, Top Men's Perfumes 2017, Top Perfumes 2017, Top Women's Perfumes 2017
Posted on January 10, 2017 by Matriarch Blog
House of Matriarch perfumes are designed to IMPROVE with time and proper storage, unlike mass produced perfumes which have a two year shelf life. Here our Perfumer Christi Meshell explains why our perfumes are capable of being cellared (unlike designer perfumes) and offers her tips for optimizing the collectability of fine perfumes.
Posted in advice, artisan, beauty mark, better with time, cellar, cellaring perfumes, collection, compounded, ethanol, fragrance, halal, halal beauty, natural, natural perfumes, oil, perfume, spirits, storage, top artisan perfumes, use and care, vintage
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