Only 47 Bottles Of Abeille D’Exception In The World

There are only 47 bottles of “Abeille D’Exception by Guerlain” (the bee of Guerlain) perfume in the world. The scent, created by head perfumer Thierry Wasser. The bee has been a symbol of Guerlain since founder Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain came to fame crafting perfumes for Empress Eugénie of France, who reigned reigned from 1853 to 1870; the bee was the emblem of France’s Second Empire. (It’s also fitting that both bees and perfumeries are closely associated with flowers.)

The handmade, individually numbered Baccarat crystal that holds the perfume is bee shaped—two large clear wings holding up a central flacon. It is a little pricey, of course—$19,232 US dollars, more expensive than in Paris, where the 245-milliliter bottle costs 12,500 euros (US$17,593). But what does it smell like? Guerlain rolls out a number of phrases: “green gust of air,” “a scent of grass, full of dense, rich sap,” and then the flowers “Mimosa, orange blossom, jasmine.”

Guerlain says the exclusive bee flacon, which can be displayed as art even after the perfume is gone, may attract buyers. The last time the company made an exclusive bottle like this was close to a century ago, with a turtle-shaped flask in 1914; a snail bottle was featured in 1902. And the perfume itself could last a lifetime; the bottle is eight times as large as the usual 30-milliliter portion for parfum at 240-milliliter.