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SWEET SMELL OF EXCE$$ (perfume in diamond-studded flacon costs $215,000)
NY POST ^ | December 9, 2005 | FARRAH WEINSTEIN

Posted on 12/09/2005 7:15:59 AM PST by Liz

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To: Liz

Look, they're quite brilliant marketers...they produce this stuff for the Arabic and south Asian market, home to many goldplated bathroom fixtures.


21 posted on 12/09/2005 10:26:56 AM PST by Katya (Homo Nosce Te Ipsum)
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To: CarrotAndStick

They could make a 10-15 carat single crystal now, but it is not cheap.


22 posted on 12/09/2005 11:50:24 AM PST by GSlob
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To: ClearCase_guy
This is a new presentation. Unless a collector only collects special editions, it is also just too expensive for the current collectors market. It takes a barely-known design house fragrance and surrounds it with what appears to be investment quality stones/gold and prices it for the luxury value of the packaging. Since it is an extremely limited edition, it might have a market in 20+ years.

The best investment bottles are from the 20's/30's, designed by named glass artists of the era, like Lalique, for famous fragrances, like Coty. Presentations from the 70s are still affordable and if you are over 70, a good inheritance for your grandkids. Best bets are intact/sealed bottles w/the original presentation box. Not a bad way to start a favorite granddaughter on an interesting hobby that combines art history and investment.

Here's an idea of prices and number of bidders from today's eBay listings.
http://collectibles.search.ebay.com/perfume_Vanity-Perfume-Shaving_W0QQcatrefZC3QQfromZR2QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ3QQsacatZ597

Many of these auctions will see no action until the last few hours.

Caveat: no one should get into this or any other collectable without a background and a lot of research. Figure final eBay bids are anywhere from full to 1/3 of book value for the top presentations that are truly rare. Since there is no buyers premium on an eBay auction, the final results can often beat those of a live auction IRL.

I have been collecting since the 60s and my small collection is about 3x my investment, at the moment, excluding my mistakes. When I sell, since it is personal property, there will be no tax. I won't buy anything I haven't thoroughly researched and I have only once paid book value at the time of purchase, just because I love the presentation. Today, it is worth more than I paid, mainly because it is in very good condition. A knowledgable collector can often find valuable sleepers on eBay.

It is not about the contents of the bottle. My husband used to make jokes about my collection until I began dragging him to retail antique galleries that feature perfume bottles. Now, he frets something will happen to my better pieces and is eager to see the auction results for pieces we own.
23 posted on 12/09/2005 1:12:53 PM PST by reformedliberal (Bless our troops and pray for our nation. I am thankful for both.)
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