Divinity and magic are prisms through which we interpret mistery, so that even when we are convinced we are observing life from a completely rational perspective, a soupçon of one or the other remains, in a nuance, in a fleeting redolence, in the blinking of an eye. From the first spark of life in the womb of mother goddess, humans have evolved to delight in being surprised, to feeling intense excitement at new discoveries, and there is some part of us that eternally gazes beyond the horizon or toward the sky in search of a sacred mountain or the flickering of the divine.
If you yearn for the chance to find them both, your instinct might suggest you to set your inner compass toward the South of France, to an area acknowledged as the “Cradle of Perfume”, to be drawn upward in a maze of cobbled laneways and alleys, in order to reach the inner sanctum of a perfume shaman: Olivier Durbano.

Each of Olivier Durbano’s fragrances captures the energetic vibration of a specific semi-precious stone or crystal, interpreting its physical properties and blending its symbolic values in an alchemic entwining of notes, myths, legends, numerology, astrology, history and … poetry. “The subtle brightness of the divine” will be, thus, revealed to you, from the heart of that small mountain, sacred to all artistic fragrance lovers, because this glow is precisely the spirit of Durbano’s 13th olfactory gem: Labradorite #13.

Labradorite, a semi-transparent stone with iridescent reflections, streaked with gray, blue, purple and green, harnesses the electric glow of an aurora borealis in a thick network of veins. From tribal Inuit beliefs to Japanese legends, the lunar stone has been endowed with magical and energetic properties, including the ability to cast light into the deepest emotions, promote the awakening and harmonization of the psyche and expand the limits of the sphere of consciousness.
Labradorite #13, the latest addition to the Pierres Poèmes collection by Olivier Durbano, is inextricably linked to the number 13 that represents purification and rebirth, which are in turn associated with the Virgin Mary in Christianity and the Eternal Return in Astrology. This last places the 13th sign of the Zodiac in the constellation of the Ophiuchus (the serpent-bearer). The Major Arcanum of Death in Tarot announces a radical transformation, an ending pointing towards new beginnings. 12 laps around the sun +1 and it is precisely through the olfactory rendition of the Labradorite that the artist gives a new and unexpected twist to Pierres Poèmes collection, daring on hypnotic sensual and animal nuances interpreted with extreme elegance.

A fresh, woody, mineral and aromatic accord hovers from the opening notes, lighting up the composition and a multi-crescendo-in undulation of fragrant raw materials which etch upon skin an olfactory talisman of transformation, purification and rebirth.
Almost to affirm the indissoluble bond between the human and the divine, the ancient and majestic charm of agarwood flows from the base notes, releasing the wild magnetism of castoreum and civet which, like mythological creatures, stand as custodians of a hidden treasure. Within the rarefied armosphere, dotted with incense glows, a luscious white flower delicately unfurls, protected by the sensual embrace of ambergris, and barely perceptible beyond the impenetrable interweaving of animal, woody, smoky and resinous-balsamic nuances. Tuberose, the forbidden flower, becomes the fulcrum of this transformation, softening the hypnotic dance of the most indomitable raw materials with its gentle milky and slightly indolic scent. Around it, the beginning and the end harmonize complementing each other and, from the iridescent facets of Labradorite # 13, a subtle sylvan breeze blows melting with golden honey-like reflexes of Opoponax on a velvety base of precious woods infused with a hint of musk.

Glow: Palo-Santo (Bursera graveolens), Cardamom, Marjoram;
Magnetism: Tuberose, Ambregris, Oliban;
Mystery: Agarwood, Sandalwood, Civet, Castoreum, Opoponax, Musk

The fragrances of Pierres Poèmes (Poems Stones) collection are available in selected perfumeries or from Olivier Durbano online store where you can also admire a range of precious jeweled-sculptures and scarves that testify to the multifaceted genius of the eclectic artist.

“Evolution is the Law of Life, Number is the Law of the Universe, Unity is the Law of God”
(Pythagoras)