Agates Face Powder c1973

Before Guerlain unveiled its now-iconic Météorites face powder pearls in 1987, the house had already experimented with a remarkably artistic concept in 1973—a face powder called Agates. This earlier creation served as both a cosmetic innovation and a celebration of refined craftsmanship. The name Agates referred not merely to its delicate, luminous finish, but to the exquisite container that held it—an opulent box inspired by Marie Antoinette’s own agate-covered casket, a symbol of 18th-century luxury and taste. Guerlain’s Agates embodied the brand’s deep appreciation for artistry and historical elegance, merging beauty and fine art in a way that anticipated the later Météorites line.

The inspiration for the Agates powder box likely drew from the celebrated gold and pietra dura “Steinkabinett” created by Christian Gottlieb Stiehl of Dresden, circa 1770—a masterpiece of mineral artistry and scientific curiosity. Stiehl’s work was not a mere decorative object but a meticulously crafted cabinet of stones, showcasing his mastery of ‘Zellenmosaik’, or cellular mosaic technique. The oval box featured a lid intricately inlaid with brightly colored hardstones, forming a rustic basket overflowing with lifelike flowers. Around it, garlanded borders of chalcedony forget-me-nots framed swirling petals composed of numbered specimen stones, each carefully cataloged and listed in a printed booklet hidden within a secret compartment in the base. The effect was dazzling: the interplay of translucent stones and pierced goldwork created the illusion of a miniature stained-glass window, shimmering with light and color.

It is easy to imagine Guerlain’s Agates box echoing this spirit of craftsmanship and wonder—its design likely refined, jewel-like, and sumptuous, evoking the elegance of Marie Antoinette’s boudoir and the scholarly beauty of Stiehl’s mineral compositions. The name Agates thus captured both the precious materiality of fine hardstones and the poetic refinement of Guerlain’s aesthetic—a bridge between science, art, and the artifice of beauty itself. Though the original Agates powder of 1973 is now rarely seen, it stands as a precursor to Météorites, embodying the same idea of transforming complexion and light into a delicate, prismatic radiance—just as the stones of the Steinkabinett transformed sunlight into a jeweled glow.

The box style was later used for the Meteorites packaging in 1987.

backlighting showing the stained glass effect of the lid.