A luminous, woody aura
As a chapter in the Collection Extraordinaire, Bois Doré gives centre stage to a precious bean. A fruit with accents of tobacco that looks as dark as burnt wood, here tonka bean is paired with woody scents.
Goldsmith’s tonka
To convey the brilliance of twenty-four-carat gold, perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin studied the entire palette of woods. Infused with an electric energy, cedarwood blends elegance and vigour with the crackle of dry wood.
It is combined with the addictive facets of tonka bean; the fruit of Brazilian teak. The beans grow twenty metres above the ground and are only gathered once fully ripe and have fallen on the ground. They must then be given time to mature to reveal their aromatic potency. At the surface of their skin, one can perceive the glint of gold. It takes about thirty-thousand beans to make one kilogram of absolute. The highly intense liquid brings to mind fruity tobacco, vanilla, and almond.
For Bois Doré, Fabrice Pellegrin moderates a subtle dialogue between cedarwood and tonka bean. The dry and the sweet between verticality and roundness. On the skin you are first awakened by a burst of black pepper and the mineral notes of hot stones. Next comes the essence of cedarwood which is enhanced by a touch of vanilla. In the drydown, tonka bean absolute spreads its power and comes to life in a profusion of white musk.
“I composed Bois Doré to be a wood that has fused with the luminosity of gold. I chose noble cedarwood and the hypnotic intensity of tonka bean, to which I added a touch of musk and vanilla to reinforce the character of this irresistibly delicious fragrance. I wanted you to be drawn to it as if it were a nugget of gold,” Fabrice Pellegrin.
Since it was founded in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels has embodied the virtuosity of jewellery savoir-faire.
Fuelled by an endlessly renewed inventive spirit, the Maison's excellence has given rise to timeless creations and exceptional techniques: Mystery Set™, Zip necklaces, Poetic Complications® watches, and carefully selected Pierres de Caractère™ gemstones have all revolutionised the jewellery world.
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The fruit of long years’ work and an intense collaboration with automaton maker François Junod, the project also owes its existence to the savoir-faire of the numerous craftsmen who have taken part in its creation.
It was this idea that gave rise to the Maison's new chapter in fragrance, the “Collection Extraordinaire”, a Fragrance Collection reminiscent of its finest High Jewellery pieces/works: a High Perfumery Collection.