Guerlain goes for gold and Swarovski crystals for Nadine Kanso collab

For one of its latest Exceptional Creations, LVMH-owned Guerlain invited jeweler Nadine Kanso to reinterpret the maison’s iconic Bee Bottle that has been manufactured by French glassmaker Pochet du Courval since 1853.

Beirut-born and today based in Dubai, Kanso is known for her signature use of refined calligraphy in her creations. For this project, Kanso conceived an adorment recalling a cuff made of pewter, gold and crystals that spells “love” in Arabic calligraphy.

Guerlain orchestrates a limited-edition

Kanso's design was executed in the workshops of Gonthiez Frères, a 132-year-old French atelier, working in close collaboration with Austrian crystal house Swarovski. Each piece is individually cast in pewter, then gilded in 24-carat gold and hand-adorned with 1,710 colored Swarovski crystals, requiring more than 12 hours of manual labor, says the brand. Guerlain’s Dames de Table seal the assembled flacon via the baudruchage technique with a fine golden thread wound around the neck.

The Bee Bottles are sheathed with jewel-like cuffs spelling the world "Love" in Arabic calligraphy © Guerlain

Each of the 30 numbered one-liter flacons comes in a wooden cloche coffret lacquered in black, with the name of the collaboration in gold lettering.

The bee bottle by Nadine Kanso houses Rêve d’Amour, an eau de parfum exclusively created by Guerlain’s perfumers for this edition. Blending notes of white flowers, cedarwood, abelmosk and benzoin, it launched in April, priced at €15,000.

Swarowski-adorned cuff made by Nadine Kanso © Guerlain

Celebrating its 170^th anniversary this year, Guerlain’s bee bottle continues to be a source of inspiration for contemporary artists, with a number of collaborations including with Ateliers Vermont for 2023 Cherry Blossom, The Art of Happiness with Maison Matisse and Guerlain x Céline Cléron.

Bottle Pochet du Courval

Bottle adornment designNadine Kanso

Bottle adornmentGonthiez Frères