Haute Italian perfume house Xerjoff introduces the world’s most refined fruity floral perfume, BEGUM

Whenever Xerjoff introduces a new scent it’s big news in the luxury world. You may recall our previous features on the IRISSS perfume and the Casamorti Bath Collection, both of which concentrated not only on the precious and exclusive scents contained within but also the amazing vessels carrying them.

The latest masterpiece from Xerjoff is named BEGUM, named after a female royal and/or aristocratic title from Central and South Asia. This new perfume has a full bodied fruity floral scent upon a smooth musky wooden base. Full of intrigue and life, this one-of-a-kind fruity floral scent is the perfume lovers’ way to express oneself, without giving too much away.

The world of fine fragrances is a mystery to many. I’d wager that most of us never give much thought past “how does it smell”, however, creating the finest perfumes entails an enormous amount of experimentation, refining and testing. The essentials in making the finest fragrances lies in the specially selected aromatic compounds (plant sources) and the concentration of these, the resulting blend making the difference between a standard mass-manufactured scent and a high quality, exclusive and long lasting fragrance.

Although perfume has been with us in some shape or form for thousands of years, the birth of modern perfumery as we know it began in the late 19th century and has since grown into a global multi-billion dollar industry with 2015 expected to hit global sales of $40 billion.

BEGUM follows the tried and tested Xerjoff tradition of choosing the finest compounds and combining them in exactly the right amounts. The heart of BEGUM’s composition is natural florals (Damascus rose absolute, jasmine sambac absolute, lily of the valley, lilac, Bulgarian rose, Florentine iris and Ylang Ylang) all perfectly intertwined with a lemon, bergamot, red berries and freesia head. The base is a brilliantly orchestrated, yet subtle blend of rosewood and sandalwood, patchouli, Vetiver, vanilla, amber and musk. The execution of BEGUM is resolutely modern and intoxicating; with resinous cushions strengthening the quality of the gentle floral notes.

The very first collection from Xerjoff, JX 17/17 is a celebration of seven scents, each speaking a different language to create an alternative frame of mind. Inspired by the window cabinet of the Minerals and Semi-precious Stones area in London’s Natural History Museum, this range encompasses a Quartz Collection with handcrafted quartz flacons embossed with 18-karat gold and decorated with rubies; a limited edition Murano Collection finished in 18-karat gold and presented on an ebony base with each crystalline flacon numbered and crowned with Xerjoff’s signature stopper; and a Stone Label Collection.

Where can I get BEGUM and how much does it cost?
The EDP edition of BEGUM is presented in a 100ml Stone Label bottle priced at £500.00. Or for complete indulgence (and perhaps more befitting to the appellation), Harrods currently houses one of the limited edition bottles of BEGUM from the 17/17 Quartz Collection. Hand-crafted from a single piece of Amethyst Quartz and finished in 18kt gold with diamonds, this exquisite bottle is unique and available for £35,000.00.