Mancera Pearl Review +Tears of Mermaids Draw

May 10, 2020May 10, 2020

Cream, peach, pink and white freshwater pearls. Photo by Gail Gross ©

“What Symmetry! What art! They are the tears of mermaids!” – from the 1936 film Desire, starring Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich.

The Mermaid. Painting by John William Waterhouse (1900) via Wikipedia

Pearls have been treasured, coveted and collected by mankind for millennia. From stories of the ancient pearl beds of the Caribbean and the Arabian Seas, to the tales of the South Pacific and Japanese cultured pearl fisheries and the freshwater pearl farms, ponds and lakes of China, the myths and legends, the intrigue and obsession associated with pearls could easily fill several volumes. I have been collecting pearls since I was a teenager but, unlike the majority of collectors, I have never been obsessed with perfectly round, gem quality pearls. While beautifully imperfect near round pearls make up the vast majority of my trove, my favorites are still baroque pearls, thick with lustrous nacre, pearls that fascinate me with endless plays of color and oddly intriguing forms. Tahitians, South Sea pearls, Akoyas and Keshis, as well as freshwater coins pearls, Kasumis and Biwas, can all be found in myriad textures, hues and in cultured as well as natural baroque shapes.

Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper in the 1936 film Desire.

The beauty of Baroque pearls demonstrates to me, time and again that, counter to the opinion of the jeweler Aristide Duvall in the 1936 movie Desire, symmetry is not necessarily a prerequisite for beauty or for art. Perfumes, like fine art, are often the most beautiful when they manifest in baroque and asymmetrical ways. Mancera Pearl, created in 2016 by Pierre Montale for the House of Mancera Paris, now under the artistic direction of his daughter Amélie is one such fragrance.

Freshwater, saltwater Akoya, Tahitian and South Sea pearls. Photo by Gail Gross ©

Like the nacreous skin of a fine baroque pearl, Mancera Pearl is imbued, from the first breath to the last lingering sigh, with an olfactory glow and shimmering iridescence. Even though the profile or landscape of Mancera Pearl changes radically and morphs over time – from the ornate and textured to the smooth and lustrous – the iridescent effect is always there. Beginning with a sharp, very green fig, cut with citrus and apple peel, Mancera Pearl glistens with hints of moisture as it gradually blooms into a smooth pearlescent bouquet of rose buds, stems, rose leaves and cool spring flowers. After about an hour this pearl of a perfume begins to glow as notes of jasmine, peach and amber (and perhaps a bit of orange blossom) add warmth to the cut flowers. The mellow floral heart remains in place, clean and ever so slightly soapy, for eight more hours on skin, and much longer on clothing. Mancera Pearl dries down to a juicy combination of peachy amber, oakmoss and musk and is a fragrance that can be worn during every season, a perfume that is “always appropriate” (to paraphrase Jackie Kennedy) for any occasion.

Notes: Bergamot, fig, green apple, white peach, Bulgarian rose, Egyptian jasmine, violet, amber and white musk.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank Europerfumes for my treasured bottle of Mancera Pearl. My opinions are my own.

Gail Gross – Senior Editor

Thanks to Europerfumes, the US distributor of Mancera, we have one 120 ml TESTER bottle of Mancera Pearl for one registered CafleureBon reader in the US. (You must register or your entry will be invalid. To register click here.) To be eligible please leave a comment about what you enjoyed about Gail’s review and if you have a favorite Mancera fragrance. Draw closes 5/13/2020

Available at @bhperfumery and @krystalfragrance

Beverly Hills Perfumery, is currently offering 20% off on all orders over $150 until the May 31, 2020 Coupon code is FOUR20.

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