Hope by George Frederic Watts and assistants, 1886, Tate Gallery
Jeweler, perfumer and designer Olivier Durbano brings a poetic soulfulness to his stone-inspired creations. Durbano finds inspiration at the spiritual crossroads between the divine and earthbound, the symbolic and literal, the perceived and invisible. In the fifteenth of his “Stones Poemes,” SpeM PetraM, or “stone of hope,” poises mineral smells that represent the earthly against the heavenward drift of incense, homely sweet spices against sharp evergreen. Its rocky exterior hides a yearning, melting heart. “The alchemy,” Durbano says, “is between visible and invisible.”
Sculpture of Mary Magdalene, stock photo
As with all Durbano’s fragrances, the blend of notes is designed to evoke an emotional response. SpeM PetraM, with its capitalized “M”s, references Mary Magdalene, who, in French legend, is said to have lived in a mountain cave in the sacred forest of La Saint Baume of southern France. Durbano builds SpeM PetraM around nard, an aromatic oil used since antiquity that the Magdalene is said to have worn. Nard is alternately resinous, mineral and salty, an evocative choice that suggests the damp, mysterious smell of a cavern but also the warmth of the human body.
Olivier Durbano and Lauryn at Pitti Fragranze 2019
The development of Oliver Durbano SpeM PetraM is lateral rather than linear, spreading out waves of contrasting but complementary notes. It sways between cool and earthy and glowing even in its earliest stages, when the fragrance weaves quickly between warm balsamic aromas before releasing wintry, turpenic fir and the hard, mineral tang of wet stone. Within a few minutes, cinnamon and loamy saffron wrap around each other as a puff of light incense makes its way to the top like a smoke tendril. Wood notes round out and deepen the fragrance. At times, SpeM PetraM is as comforting as a blanket thrown across the shoulders on a chilly night. At others, it is moist and cool, strongly mineral; a path along a rocky outcrop over a darkening sea.
Photo by Nilanjan Basu
Utterly unexpectedly, and well into the perfume’s development, a soft-petaled pink rose emerges. Incense steps quietly into the background, and the mineral odours give way to its poignant, velvety lushness. The juxtaposition of this tender flower right at the height of the foggy, stoniness of Olivier Durbano SpeM PetraM is like getting a touch on the shoulder from a friend after a hard day. In the dry-down, the mineral backbone is still evident, but balanced by the incense, cinnamon, and rose that provide a gentle counterpoint of living, warm sweetness. The mineral nard reverberates from time to time, like echoes in a cave. SpeM PetraM may be the most moving of all Durbano’s lyrical perfumes.
Notes: Tears of oliban incense, cinnamon, bay, saffron, incense, balsam fir, cabrueva, Damascene rose, nard, musk, oriental cedar.
Disclaimer: Sample of SpeM PetraM kindly provided by Olivier Durbano at Pitti Fragranze. My opinions are my own.
Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
Olivier Durbano SpeM PetraM photo by Ermano Picco©
Thanks to the generosity of Olivier Durbano, we have 100 ml of Olivier Durbano SpeM PetraM which you can preorder on his site for one registered reader in the EU, or USA. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what struck you about SpeM PetraM based on Lauryn’s review and if you have a favourite Olivier Durbano perfume. Draw closes 10/10/2019.
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Editor’s Note: Lauryn wrote The Three Olivier Durbano fragrances you should be wearing here. In 2014, our dear Deputy Editor Tama Blough (RIP) wrote “When Scent Becomes Soul” Olivier Durbano Turquoise for her the scond in our series of Fragrant Awakenings
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