The word hope conjures images of things longed for, of that which has yet to be seen, felt, and known as a part of one’s lived experience. There is also a sense in which hope may be manifested as something physical. Thus, the Hope Diamond serves not only as the inspiration for this fragrance from the London-based house of Thameen; it imbues every tendril of its sillage with the promise of prestige. Abiding in a similarly blue bottle, itself a vessel in which the future may be tinctured, this is luxury for its own sake, devoid of social baggage and offered nakedly as if beauty were as necessary as breathing—and are not both integral to this masterful olfactory experience?

From the opening, we get a love nibble on one ear of pink pepper, cinnamon bark, and cloves while frankincense and cardamom whisper in the other. The combination is extraordinary. Calming and unforced, it throws a blanket over the caution of our lives as if to soothe it against the wiles of the world. With so much warmth to be savored, it is a most appropriate perfume for wintry nights on which the occasional caress of comfort is all that’s needed to remind ourselves that the best is yet to come.

If these initial stirrings constitute a sonata, then the middle notes of patchouli, white cedar wood, and Immortelle flower give us an earthier symphony of sun-kissed memories. Buried in this soft tangle is the leather of nagarmotha, which casts its shadow like a wandering trader who smells of everything he carries in his pack. That feeling of being lived in is what makes The Hope such a genuine journey from start to finish.

As if to reinforce this image, at the base, we have a swirling postlude of labdanum, musks, Haitian vetiver, and olibanum, all of which shoulder their own storied pasts. As intimate as they are far-reaching, they are a vocalise of the heart. Indeed, words fall short of describing this seamless blend. It would be far better, perhaps, to depend on the language of the body to evoke all it brings to mind (and, in that capacity, I would fail even more). And so, let its gestures embrace you as they will.