Paris jeweler Ann Gérard is introducing a new fragrance in her collection this spring. Rose Cut was created by Bertrand Duchaufour, the same perfumer who worked on other fragrances in Gerard’s collection, Cuir de Nacre, Perle de Mousse, and Ciel d’Opale. The name derives from a diamond-cutting technique which gives stones a soft radiance.
“My inspiration for Rose Cut was a word: Allure. While beauty often fades over the years, allure lasts forever. Rose Cut celebrates women who fully embrace their personality and femininity. To reflect their many facets, I wanted an “oxymoron fragrance” that would combine opposites: femininity/strength, luminosity/depth.
In the composition, these opposites translate into luminous notes (pink pepper, aldehydes) associated with warm, balsamic, velvety notes (vanilla, peony, benzoin), and through the association of rose (wildly feminine) with patchouli (strength and character).”
Rose Cut includes notes of aldehydes, rum, pink pepper, roses, peony, patchouli, vanilla, oak wood absolute and benzoin absolute. 60 ml Eau de Parfum, $165. Via press release
36 Comments
George: Ann Gerard and her metaphysics, eh! Let’s hope the perfume is better thought out! April 8, 2014 at 8:05am
Victoria: I like the line in general very much, so it sounds like an interesting launch. April 8, 2014 at 8:23am
George: Yes, I do too, albeit the perfume, not the copy! I also got to recently try Mohur (talking of a niche brand with BD as perfumer with copy that I find irritating) and that was great, if not what I was expecting. Quality perfumes deserve quality copy, I believe! April 8, 2014 at 9:32am
Victoria: What did you expect of Mohur? It’s such a changeable perfume on me, and some days all I smell is roses; on others, it feels dark, rich, animalic. But it’s exciting. April 8, 2014 at 10:28am
George: I was expecting what you got, but instead I got a huge supernatural fig-like fruitlike (but not necessarily fruity) fragrance; I think the green notes, plus the milk accord and the jasmine, with the berry notes of the rose added up to this HUGE, mouthwatering fruit with a patisserie type edge. And I know people frequently describe perfumes as having a mouthwatering like quality but this one REALLY did make my mouth water. Underneath that I got a gourmand/dark rose, but it felt a bit detached. I keep on meaning to smell a fig/more fig fragrances to try and work what is going on and how accurate my fig description is, and I am not talking of literal interpretation of a fig here, more like a surreal one. But it was quality from top to bottom! April 8, 2014 at 10:59am
Victoria: While I like Mohur, what you got sounds way more interesting than my experience with it. April 8, 2014 at 2:54pm
Hannah: Nearly every single fragrance ad copy says it will combine opposites. April 8, 2014 at 8:18am
Victoria: I suppose, that’s the idea! 🙂 April 8, 2014 at 8:24am
Ari: When does Bertrand sleep??? April 8, 2014 at 9:05am
Victoria: Who knows! But on the other hand, some people are very profilic and creative. I don’t love all of his perfumes, but a fair share of them is distinctive and unusual. April 8, 2014 at 10:25am
Annikky: I’m curious about this one, I liked the first trio. April 8, 2014 at 9:06am
Victoria: I wore Cuir de Nacre the other day and it was such a pleasure. April 8, 2014 at 10:25am
Elena: I love Cuir de Nacre and Perle de Mousse (haven’t tried Ciel) so this sounds interesting. I am reading Lean In right now, so perhaps that’s why I’m so aware, but the line about femininity and strength being opposites is a bit of a slap in the face, isn’t it? Marketing is so very often undermining to women! Yikes. April 8, 2014 at 10:34am
Victoria: Ciel is pretty, but I haven’t fallen for it as hard as I have for Perle de Mousse and Cuir de Nacre. I promise myself to revisit it soon, since it’s such a springtime perfume.
I always loved one of my ballet teachers who called me “strong as a bull.” It may not seem like much of a compliment, but since dances requires incredible strength and endurance, despite its seeming delicacy, it always made me laugh. April 8, 2014 at 2:54pm
Ann: The Mood Ring Chart copy aside, what an amazing color for a fragrance! April 8, 2014 at 11:03am
rainboweyes: I love the colour too! But I’m afraid you have to be very careful not to spray it on fabric… April 8, 2014 at 12:06pm
Ann: The color just looks how I imagine the fragrance to smell…. sparkling ruby red rose with pink pepper and resins. April 8, 2014 at 2:28pm
Victoria: That’s exactly what I thought when I first saw the pictures online. I love richly colored perfumes. April 8, 2014 at 2:55pm
rickyrebarco: I did not like the previous Anne Gerard scents at all. I got the 3 mini bottle set and sold it soon after. Especially the Nacre one smelled very strange, like shellac or something. Not sure if I will bother to sample this or not. The notes sound nice, but then don’t they always? I also think Ducheaufour is spreading himself a bit then these days. He seems to be the nose behind every new niche these days. When quantity goes up quality usually goes down. Just sayin…. April 8, 2014 at 11:23am
Victoria: Most perfumers work on multiple projects (25 projects simultaneously is not an unusual number), but in case of Duchaufour, he is able to realize all of his projects, because he works directly with the brands. And different people work differently and are able to be prolific without sacrificing quality. April 8, 2014 at 2:57pm
Lila Das Gupta: Victoria,
I look forward to your full review of this, like you, I like the Ann Gerard line a lot. Rose Cut was one of my favourite new releases at the perfume fair, Exsence, in Milan. It starts a little dark and fruity and then I found hints of tobacco, a subtle, changing, lighter, modern chypre. Struggling to describe (that’s why we need you!), definitely next on my purchase list. Not heavily rose-like, so don’t be put off if this is not normally what you go for. Another lovely find was the new Mohur Extrait – simply beautiful and even better than Mohur, if that can be possible. (I liked George’s description of it). So glad that Betrand Duchaufour is prolific -I always look forward to smelling his perfumes and I love his work. April 8, 2014 at 11:58am
Victoria: You make me want to smell it as soon as possible, Lila. Your description is so lovely! I’m also happy to see more from Duchaufour. I wrote about Jacques Guerlain yesterday, and he was another profilic person. It’s not like he created Shalimar and Mitsouko and just rested in between. April 8, 2014 at 2:58pm
maja: I haven’t tried anything from this line. 🙁 Pink pepper, rose, patchouli – all in line with recent trends, right?
I have my doubts about BD, too. Some of them are perfect like Timbuktu, some just not right like Seville a l’aube. But the one I liked a lot is Ashoka. Such a complex and wonderful scent. April 8, 2014 at 12:02pm
Victoria: The notes mean so little, I think. After all, with the same notes you can create totally different perfumes, totally different sensations. Now, it’s another story if BD’s style doesn’t mesh with you, and that I can totally understand. I admire him as a perfumer, but I don’t love all of his creations. April 8, 2014 at 3:01pm
Lucasl: I met with Ann Gerard at Esxence in Milan last month and I absolutely enjoyed smelling Rose Cut. To me this perfume stands out in Ann’s fragrance collection.
In fact I reviewed Rose Cut last week on my blog since it was one of my favourites of the perfume fair April 8, 2014 at 12:04pm
Victoria: Thank you, Lucas. I will check it out. April 8, 2014 at 3:01pm
rainboweyes: I loved Cuir de Nacré a lot, it’s become one of my favourite transitional scents for early autumn (and I think it’s a good idea to wear it now, thanks for bringing it back on my radar!). I’m not a huge rose fan but I think I’ll give Rose Cut a try, just because it’s a Duchafour. Of course, he’s been very prolific recently but as long as the quality is fine, I don’t mind. I think we’ve seen worse fragrances signed by renown perfumers far less ubiquitous than BD. Of course, you never know how long he’ll be able to keep such high standards. Time will show… April 8, 2014 at 12:04pm
Victoria: I’m glad that niche brands give some of these creative, interesting perfumers a chance to shine. Some results are better than others, but that’s only to be expected.
I’m going to wear Cuir de Nacre tonight again. It felt so perfect yesterday. April 8, 2014 at 3:03pm
Domestic Goblin: Victoria, will you be reviewing this fragrance soon? April 8, 2014 at 1:30pm
Victoria: For now, I didn’t plan a review, but I need to try it first. April 8, 2014 at 3:05pm
annemarie: I agree the ad copy is awful. Strength and femininity are opposites? Total rubbish. And rose and patchouli is a classic fragrance accord that needs no justification. Anyway, roses may symbolize femininity but the plant is incredibly strong and enduring, as everyone who has ever grown roses would know. Okay, end of rant! April 8, 2014 at 5:00pm
Victoria: My grandmother has a few rose bushes that despite the lack of care is going very strong. Of course, it must depend on the varieties, but I have been amazed how much roses can take. You cut them down completely, and next year they regenerate! It’s still my dream to have a potted fragrant rose, but I can’t find the right variety. April 8, 2014 at 5:29pm
Ashley Anstaett: I think this perfume sounds wonderful and am excited to smell it! I’ve heard a lot of good things, and I also love rose, although this one, from the chatter, sounds like it might not be super duper rosy!
I’m excited to be moving into a house this summer, and I’m going to plant a cutting of my grandpappy’s Cecile Brunner rose. It’s not the most beautiful rose, but it has the most incredible scent and grows like a crazy weed. I also like an unruly rose. 🙂 April 8, 2014 at 6:27pm
Victoria: I googled Cecile Brunner’s rose, and it looks like a climbing rose. I love those! I bet it must smell amazing too. April 9, 2014 at 6:18am
elve: One of the truest press releases I’ve ever read. The scent is exactly as it is written. Very fresh look on rose. April 10, 2014 at 6:04am
Victoria: Can’t wait to smell it, Elve! April 10, 2014 at 9:58am