Topic: Cut glass perfume bottle

[Anne E.B.]

Any thoughts about this cut glass perfume bottle would be much appreciated .  I'm not sure if the stopper is original, but it fits ok.
The top is a bit unusual, for me at least, as it seems to be sat on the bottle rather like a shoulder and neck.  Again I'm not sure if it is silver as I can't find any markings.
TIA

[Paul S.]

well, you asked for thoughts, and mine are that it would look good in my cabinet of curiosities

for rather obvious reasons, stoppers in perfumes/scents were usually a very good tight fit  -  there aren't matching Nos. usually on such pieces (unlike decanters) - but for peace of mind check the neck of the body as well as the stopper (and even the underside of the body).                The slightest rock with this stopper might suggest not original, and agree the cutting on the stopper doesn't look to replicate anything on the body.        The main cutting has a central/eastern European look - pin wheels/hob stars etc., whereas the cutting on the stopper could be much older.

What about wear - is there any - and the height will be of interest, though no help with id unfortunately.

As for silver or not  -  try a little silver polish or Brasso  -  if it comes of really black then you're in business. 

The chasing on the collar looks typical of that seen on silver work  -  it doesn't prove it's Sterling at least just looking at the screen, but the colour also makes it possible.

Is there any residue of aroma  -  some of these things, from a hundred years ago, can still give off the smell of a 'flapper' if it was a high end scent  -  all to do with ambergris so I'm told.

thanks for posting  -  have to say that though I now don't have many of these, I'm always a fan. 

[Anne E.B.]

Many thanks for your thoughts Paul Glad you like it.   Lots of things to think about....

Firstly, size - the bottle itself is 4" high and heavy. However, my OH seems to think that underneath the "silver" it may well be brass as it looks yellowish (I've added a couple of pics. to show).
Would they have silver plated brass, or could this colouration have been caused by the perfume itself?

You are quite right about the stopper.  Whilst I thought it was a snug fit, it does actually rock slightly from side to side, whereas my other perfume bottles with similar stoppers do not.

I'm not able to check whether it is silver yet using silver polish or Brasso.  I'll have to buy some or cadge some.We don't have anything silver so have no need of it. I did try lemon juice but that didn't work.

Theres lots of ancient wear to the base, but no staining that I can see.  However, it does smell of old fashioned heady scent and it reminds me so much of my old Auntie Betty, (Gertrude, but called Gert by her friends and Betty by nephews and nieces) with her heady perfume, Ponds face powder, powdered rouge and home perms.  I don't think she was ever a flapper though, well not whilst she was a land girl  but you never know;D

The bottle itself seems quite well made and I've done a closeup of its sawtooth cutting which separates the four columns of pin wheel/hob star patterns.  Not sure what you really call this kind of cut pattern.
For some reason the pattern on the metal bit reminded me almost of Indian paisley pattern, and I just wondered if it was may be from that part of the hemisphere?

[Paul S.]

thanks Anne  ......   over the past few decades there have been some non-Sterling embellishments - cheap imitations of silver to fool the unwary, but regret I've no idea if it's possible to plate silver onto brass.         Silver from outside the U.K. often lacks hallmarks, and is referred to by auctioneers as 'white metal'  -  I think you're going to have to wait until you can test with a cloth  -  there are silver cloths that are impregnated with something like a silver polish which saves messing around with liquids.         India would be high on the list of possible sources for this kind of metalwork, but more likely only if recent, though scroll decoration on metal is probably commonplace - India was apparently the original source of the Paisley pattern - though if this is genuinely old then I'd have been tempted to go with European.     

Regret I can't see the detail in your additional pix  -  certainly the metalwork appears to be distressed to a degree which on the face of it suggests a reasonable age, and your 'ancient wear to the base' indicates this could date to earlier than pieces that might be faux silver.     Will have to wait and see.                 Was this from within the family or a boot sale or similar?

I remember my Mother using Ponds cream and Goya perfume and something called 4711.       

[Anne E.B.]

Now on my list to do jobs  - silver testing.  Will get back with the findings.

Bought a couple of days ago from a local charity shop for £2.