DSH Perfumes Le Jade via Instagram @dshperfumes ©

As much as I lust after perfume and am obsessed with all things related to the presentation, manufacture and romance of fragrance, I admit that scent was not my first love. My premier infatuation was much more solid – I have been collecting rocks and minerals since I was six years old.  When I was a child my father and grandfather encouraged my addiction by bringing beautiful and interesting pieces from far away and creating the display cases that stored my carefully labeled treasures.

 Dawn Spencer Hurwitz receiving her 2019 Art and Olfaction Award for American Perfumer “Colorado”.  Photo via Art and Olfaction©

Over the years I have divested the majority of my collection.  My once imposing pile of rocks has been reduced to one small cabinet of mineral specimens and two or three hundred stone pendants and bangles. Many of the latter pieces are testimonials to the decades I suffered from Jade Fever – an inexplicable fixation on the various Stones of Heaven – jadeite, nephrite, serpentine, maw sit-sit and all the other “real” and “would be” jades.  These various jades are like a rainbow cast in stone, colors ranging from the truest, translucent, imperial greens to pale opaque lavenders and vivid blood-reds. I have to admit that I have never really lost my fascination for all things Jade, and when I received a sample of award winning perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’ new  Le Jade, I immediately felt that old Jade Fever coming on yet again. With DSH Perfumes Le Jade, two of my most virulent collecting passions have collided in one, green, aromatic “retro-nouveau” chypre.

.  Photo by Gail Gross ©

Jade, especially the precious jadeite from Myanmar, Guatemala, Russia and Japan, has been and continues to be (like diamonds, gold and oud), contested and controversial.   Coveted for centuries by imperial rulers, socialites and collectors, the mesmerizing beauty of the Stone of Heaven has been, at last, captured in scent by DSH Perfumes Le Jade.  Inspired by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s experiences of the classic Le Jade by Roger et Gallet and Inoue by Shiseido, DSH Perfumes Le Jade evokes the myriad green hues of the stone as well the perfumer’s memories of the sacred temperate forests of Japan and the lush jungles of Southeast Asia.

 Haze in the Trees.  Photo by Gail Gross ©

DSH Le Jade opens with an early morning haze of faint wood-smoke floating over densely forested hillsides. The cool, peaceful, humid effect created by Dawn’s masterful blending of Hinoki cypress, bergamot, artemisia, oud and cassis is calming and sweetly herbal.  The mist gradually lifts, revealing an elegant, translucent bouquet of violet, jasmine, narcissus and geranium, sparkling with faint nuances of medicinal pine, oakmoss and the fresh, earthy slightly sharp scent of chrysanthemum. This is the “retro-nouveau” heart of DSH Perfumes Le Jade – verdant; clear, deep and fresh, like the melancholic breath of an ancient forest or the transparent green soul of a jade gemstone. I am lost in this wet, mossy world for several hours before Le Jade dries into the bright mineral sunlight of Australian sandalwood and the deep warmth and richness of patchouli and civet.

Jadeite cobble, cabochon and a few bangles from Gail’s collection.  Photo by Gail Gross ©

DSH Perfumes Le Jade, a fragrance that Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has been refining for some time now and is the perfect olfactory rendition of the mysterious green spirit that lives in the gem we know as Jade, the Stone of Heaven.

Notes:  Bergamot, cypress, leafy green accord, narcissus, jasmine, rose, geranium, chrysanthemum, hinoki, sandalwood, oakmoss, oud, patchouli and civet.

Disclaimer:  I would like to take this opportunity to thank DSH Perfumes for the opportunity to experience the amazing Le Jade – and to wish Dawn Spencer Hurwitz a very Happy Birthday!  My opinions are my own.

Gail Gross – Senior Editor

Michelyn’s Note:  Jade stones are used for spiritual healing, love and protection. Today, September 11, 20019, marks the 18th anniversary of 9/11.  “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart”   -Proverbs 27:9

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DSH Perfumes Le Jade and Gail’s Bangles via Gail Gross©

In celebration of her birthday (today!) Dawn Spencer Hurwitz is generously providing a gift for the draw of one 10 ml pulse pen roller ball of DSH Perfumes Le Jade Voile de Parfum for one registered reader worldwide. To be eligible for the draw please wish Dawn Happy Birthday and leave a comment saying what appeals to you about DSH Le Jade based upon Gail’s review and where you live.  Happy Birthday Dawn! Draw closes 9/14/2019.

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We announce the winners only on our site and through a link on our Facebook page, so like Çafleurebon and use our  blog feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume