Start a Gift Giving Tradition with Collectible Perfume Bottles

Perfume and fragrances have long been staples of the holiday gift giving season. From beautifully crafted scents to the last minute purchase of a mainstream fragrance at the local drug store, the gift of perfume is always a popular one. Giving the perfume lover in your life a bottle of their favorite fragrance is a great way to show how much you appreciate the recipient's style and taste, and when you give a favorite perfume you know the gift will be appreciated and used throughout the year.

But have you ever considered expanding that gift giving with collectible, antique and designer perfume bottles? For centuries carefully handcrafted perfume bottles and atomizers have been created as works of art, and many of them are quite sought after by collectors and perfume lovers alike. Giving the gift of a perfume bottle each year as the Christmas season rolls around is a great way to start a new tradition and put a new twist on an old standby gift option.

There are of course literally thousands of choices when it comes to perfume bottles, from mass produced bottles by Chanel and other perfume manufacturers to handcrafted creations by Lalique, Steuben and other famous makers. Many gift givers choose to focus on a particular part of the collectible perfume bottle market - such as a particular maker or a single style.

Other collectors of perfume bottles choose to focus on the creations of a particular country - perhaps collecting a wide variety of perfume bottles crafted in Germany, France or Czechoslovakia. Collecting perfume bottles is a great way to celebrate one's heritage, and many collectors have amassed an impressive assortment of bottles by focusing on the creations of their home country.

While those collectors are free to focus on what they like, purchasing perfume bottles as a gift for others can be more of a challenge. When choosing which bottles to buy it is often helpful to know a bit about the recipient. Does he or she already have an established collection of perfume bottles, atomizers and other items? Do they focus on a particular time period, country, region or maker? Is he or she looking for a practical, usable perfume bottle or a work of art to be admired but not used? The more you can find out about the individual you are buying for the better.

It is helpful for gift buyers to research the current market for collectible perfume bottles as well. As with other collectibles, perfume bottles often go in and out of fashion, with one maker hot one year and another highly sought after the next. Learning a bit about the market will help you get the most for your money while giving the perfume lover on your list a one of a kind gift.