Touchstone: Metal + Mineral, Earth + Air, join together in this Fragrance. A modern talisman we all carry, the Cell Phone as Perfume.

The Scent Story

What is the one object that has become ubiquitous, that is always nearby if not on one’s actual person, an object that in some form crosses all gender, cultural, and socioeconomic spaces? An object that possesses great power, that can bring us help, that can connect us to those we love, an object that if we forget it, causes no small anxiety: the cell phone. The cell phone has become the talisman of our modern age. A kind of metaphorical worry stone or touchstone if you will, we can’t keep our hands off it. It reassures us and connects us when we are lonely or afraid and could literally save your life in some situations.

So how to turn the idea of a cell phone into perfume? Cell phones require minerals from the earth in their manufacture and their signals travel invisibly through the aether, so earth and air guided my choice of notes. Many of the minerals used in cell phones are silvery-to-gray in color. Materials like Tantalum, Palladium, and Platinum. So I created a flinty-gray accord with flashes of color running through it to hint at some of the other metals used—Silver, Gold, a bit of Copper—giving it a mineral and a metallic aspect. A spacious aether accord represents the air our signal travels through. Just as a quartz crystal in our cell phone vibrates at a fixed frequency, an actual piece of quartz crystal in the bottle reminds us to be aware of our own vibrations. What signals are we sending out into the world? What is the fate that you create?

While perfume-strength, this is a contemplative and quiet scent that wears close to the body.

Note Structure
Top Notes: Aether Accord
Middle Notes: Flashes of Color Accord
Base Notes: Metal & Mineral Accord



Extra Info Below if You're Curious!


**: Touchstone--Today’s Talisman
Touchstone is the result of an invitation to explore our collective need for protection from forces beyond our control. I was honored and excited to be invited to participate in this unique Cafleurebon.com project. Michelyn Camen’s brief for the project really got me thinking about the concept of luck and fate. In her words “Beware the Ides of March, knock on wood, black cats, don't walk under ladders, we all have superstitions. Talisman is a multi-perfumer project where each perfumer creates a fragrance “parfum de protection” to ward off the evil eye or attract positivity.”

What makes me feel safe? Is it an object that makes me feel this way or is it an idea? I realized that I don’t really believe in good or bad luck in the traditional sense but I do have some ideas and beliefs about the concept of luck. I suppose you could call it a more metaphysical view of talismans and the protection they afford. I think the lens through which you view your experience of being creates more of what you expect to see. Is your glass half full or half empty? Are you looking for good omens or bad? The same can be said for talismans and good or bad luck charms. If you believe that those socks are your lucky socks they will always work like a charm for you.

As humans we have always sought to explain the unknowable, the mysterious. We created rituals and objects as a symbolic representation of these mysteries—a way of having a little bit of control over that which we believed beyond our control. So while I don’t believe in a force called Fate that needs to be appeased by a ritual or a talisman, I do think there are objects that have historically conveyed a sense of ritual safety to many people. But what about our modern age; what makes people feel safe now? We have solved many formerly mysterious events; we are as a result less superstitious as a species. Where did that leave me? Enter the cellphone, the one thing in common everyone carries. It seemed to be an apt metaphor for this project and a unique challenge to translate into a perfume.

Series: Aether Series
Perfume Family: Ozone
Unisex: Yes
Scent Strength: Perfume Oil Format, Extrait/Perfume Strength
Contains True Animalics: No


Reviews:

https://cafleurebon.com/new-perfume-review-aether-arts-perfumes-touchstone-for-cafleurebon-project-talisman-amber-jobin-2017-can-you-hear-me-now-draw/

https://colognoisseur.com/new-perfume-review-aether-arts-perfume-touchstone-shields-up/

https://www.reddit.com/r/fragrance/comments/18oih43/my_1010_fragrances_as_a_perfumer/







**The Aether Series
Aether/Ozone/Marine scents hold a particular fascination for me; perhaps being born near the sea was a deciding factor. Whatever the reason, I love the quality of the air at the ocean and before a storm. The Aether Collection explores my interpretations and conceptions of Aether, Air, Ozone, and Marine scents. These perfumes are also special for being lighter and wearing closer to the body, think low sillage with above average longevity, making them perfect for those who wish to wear subtle scents.