Frequently Asked Questions

Please refer to the frequently asked questions below for quick answers to common questions. If your question was not answered here, please get in touch.

Perfume Questions

Jewellery Questions

Perfume FAQ

What is natural perfumery?
Natural perfumery is the art of creating perfumes purely from natural ingredients. Natural ingredients encompass all natural products extracted from natural sources by physical means (e.g. distillation, solvent extraction, filtration) and excludes synthetic equivalents of the same materials. Natural sources include plant material (e.g. flowers, leaves, roots, etc) and animal products (deer musk, whale ambergris, etc). I only use plant extracts, with the exception of honey and beeswax.

Why are natural perfumes expensive?
Natural perfumes are formulated with rare plant essences that are costly to obtain. For example, 2-10 kilograms of rose flowers must be grown, handpicked in the early morning, and extracted or distilled without delay to produce just one gram of fresh rose absolute. My collection of botanical essences is worth more than its weight in silver, and within my collection, 20% are highly prized oils worth their weight in gold.

How long does a natural perfume last on the skin?
Natural perfumes will usually last a couple of hours on the skin. As they do not contain synthetic additives, they are not as long-lasting as commercial perfumes, nor do they cling to clothing. Natural perfumes may need to be reapplied throughout the day, but lovers of natural perfumes often find this to be a pleasant ‘pick me up’.

Do your perfumes contain animal products?
My perfumes are vegetarian. The only animal products they contain are beeswax, honey absolute and beeswax absolute.

Do your perfumes contain preservatives?
No preservatives, whether natural or synthetic, are added to my perfumes. I use liquid jojoba wax and/or beeswax as my perfume bases, which promote a low moisture, low oxygen environment, to help prevent the perfume from “going off”.

When does a natural perfume expire?
Like fine wines, natural perfumes mature and actually improve over time, as long as they are stored properly. Natural perfumes are known to have a shelf life of 2-3 years or more, while the pure botanical essences from which they are created are known to age beautifully over many decades.

How do I store and care for my natural perfumes?
As with wines, perfumes should be stored, properly capped or closed, in a cool, dry place with minimal exposure to direct light. Solid perfumes should kept away from heat, as they may melt and leak. All full-size perfumes are gift-boxed to provide additional protection against moisture and heat. In any case, please collect your parcels without delay during wet or warm weather, to avoid any damage that may result if your parcel is left in a warm mailbox, on a porch in direct sunlight, etc.

What are the safety precautions of natural perfumes?
As with all cosmetic products, a patch test is recommended when using a new perfume, to check that there are no adverse reactions. Allergies vary between individuals, and are difficult to predict. For this reason, I recommend patch testing my perfume samples before investing in full size purchase. If you have known allergies to certain plants of cosmetic ingredients, please feel free to contact me if you require clarification about my perfume ingredients.

Some perfume ingredients, such as citrus oils, are phototoxic. Perfumes are best worn on skin that is less exposed to the sun, such as the pulse points (behind ears, on the wrists, just under the jawline) and on areas of the décolleté concealed by clothing.

Perfumes are not to be taken or used during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Why aren’t your samples free?
This is to keep my full size products fairly priced for all my customers. I do not compensate for the cost of free samples by inflating the prices of my full-size perfumes.

Jewellery FAQ

What is gold plate, gold fill, etc.?
Gold plate is a thin layer of pure gold deposited onto a base metal (e.g. brass). This is usually done via a chemical reaction of a gold solution driven by an electric current. Gold plate has the appearance of pure gold. In contrast, gold fill is formed by fusing a thick layer of hardened gold alloy to a base metal using heat and pressure, then drawing out the ductile metal into the desired thickness and shape. Gold filled jewellery has a much thicker surface layer of gold, and is more mellow in colur. It is more durable and, even when worn daily, can last several years.

What is silver plate, sterling silver, etc.?
Like gold plate, silver is also a thin layer of silver deposited onto a base metal via an electrically driven chemical reaction. Silver plate has the appearance of fine silver (>99% silver). Sterling silver is solid 92.5% silver alloy. The remaining 7.5% contains a mixture of other metals that give sterling silver optimal strength compared to pure silver. Sterling silver is much more durable than silver plate, and due to its durability, is the ideal form of silver for heirloom items.

How do I care for silver jewellery?
Silver is very prone to tarnishing as it easily picks up sulfur pollutants in the air, which gives tarnished silver a characteristic grey-brown colour. Silver pieces are best kept in a closed container or jewellery box to prevent tarnishing.

Silver can be cleaned with specialised silver cleaning cloths, available here or from your local jeweller. These fabrics are treated with agents specifically designed lift tarnish from silver surfaces without harsh rubbing and scratching. Silver cleaning solutions may also be used, but should be kept away from natural pearls as the chemical agents can damage the lustre of pearls. In this case it is safer to use a cleaning cloth.

How do I care for gold, brass and copper jewellery?
Gold, brass and copper are generally low maintenance, and only need to be cleaned very occasionally with a damp cloth.

How do I care for natural pearls?

Keep your pearl jewellery away from chemicals – perfume, makeup, toiletries, detergents, cleaning solutions, moisturisers, etc. Wipe the pearls with a soft cloth to keep them clean. Dirty pearls can be gently cleaned with mild soapy water. Avoid harsh detergents, ultrasonic cleaners and abrasive cloths.