Black Gemstone

The Sicilian lemon slices through cedarwood's dry sweetness within seconds, creating a sharp, almost austere introduction that smells more like lemon oil on raw timber than anything resembling freshness. There's an immediate sense of sobriety here, the citrus serving as punctuation rather than decoration, before myrrh begins its slow emergence from beneath.

Myrrh dominates completely now, its bitter, slightly medicinal character intensified by lingering cedar and the arrival of frankincense's resinous bite. The two resins create a dense, smoky atmosphere—not soft or devotional but stark and uncompromising, with that characteristic metallic edge that proper myrrh brings. Teakwood adds an unexpected coolness, its oily, camphoraceous qualities preventing the composition from becoming too heavy.

The resins have mellowed into a unified woody-amber base where frankincense's pine-like aspects have largely faded, leaving behind its warmer, slightly dusty character. Tonka bean finally makes itself known, adding a subtle creaminess that softens without sweetening, while teakwood's peculiar coolness persists as a ghost note. What remains is intimate and skin-close, a smoky wooden whisper with just enough balsamic warmth to feel inhabited rather than abandoned.