Or et Noir (1949)
by Caron

rich, voluptiously rich, smooth,dark coloured rose. sitting so dense in its bouquet. warm,and not one of those cold english roses. a rose being sensual and classy.
the only rose I would waer until now.
velvety

I was fortunate enough to puchase a decant of this amazing fragrance on eBay some months back. This classic Caron urn fragrance is unlike any other rose - it's dark, elegant, wintery and exquistly beautiful. There's just enough rose that you know it's there, but it's not overly floral by any means. Or et Noir has become one of my absolute favorite fragrances, it's a masterpeice!

Dim attic. Ancestor's chest.
Nectar exhausted, rose petals pressed.
Dead geranium, dried in its pot.
Medicine bottle with smudged tin top.

Roller shade up, powder charges the light.
Murphy's Oil Soap. Grime sliced.
Brittle lace, unfit for auction.
Inheritance. In heir: exhaustion.

I'm one of those who has problems with the classic Carons - my skin doesn't like them. The newer Carons are a different story. I can smell the classic 'Caron' accord in this one, and that note doesn't sit well. Unfortunately 'Or et Nor' also runs afoul of another chemistry reaction I have - a certain artificial rose note. My skin is picky about rose notes, some working as they were intended, and some taking me to artificial rose hell. The rose note in this one turned absolutely awful on me, becoming the cheap perfume oil of bazaars and street vendors. I had to scrub it off within 5 minutes. I hate to be negative about a classic fragrance, but that's what it's all about, I think - finding what works for you. I've only tried 11 Carons at this point, but the classic ones have given me problems.

Or et Noir (“Gold and Black”) is another of those wonderful Caron urn fragrances. I had read that Or et Noir provided the backdrop for Caron’s Parfum Sacre. However, I smell little similarity between the two scents. Or et Noir is not an oriental-spicy like Parfum Sacre, but instead is a lovely rose with a tinge of green and a good dose of wine. It’s a deeply colored rose with a wine note that is predominant on my skin for some time. This perfume was designed by Michel Morsetti and is similar in many ways to Caron’s Rose parfum but with enough differences (such as the green and then the wine note minus the geranium which appears in the opening of the Rose parfum) that justify it being a different creation. Morsetti is said to have formulated Or et Noir from Ernest Daltroff’s notes; it seems to have that famously rich and creamy Daltroff base which makes the older Carons so sumptuous. If you like rose scents, you’ll like this one. Or et Noir is said to be something of a chameleon in the way it transforms itself on each wearer. Very hard to find outside of the Caron Boutiques. Now and then it shows up on eBay. If you like classic rose fragrances, don’t pass up an opportunity to try this one.