Rare Rubies

An update: Does anybody know the note(s) that seems to last forever with Rare Rubies? It is so addictive....maybe the rose, I am not sure. I just am constantly sniffing myself or anywhere I sprayed like my shirt so magnetic in my opinion.It is a pleasure to breathe in deeply this scent. It's kind of sweet with another spice mixed in (maybe what is called the dry down). Any ideas are welcome. On one of the newer boxes 2012-2013 the notes on the box are: coriander, rose, and amber. That would be a change from the original up above. Hello all, I am new to this so bare with me :) I have never really been into perfume and/or fragrance until I stumbled across this gem (no pun intended) Rare Rubies By Avon at my local Goodwill. As well as being love at first sight; the bottle was soft misted glass with a red ruby fan at the top. It was love at first whiff/sniff. Yep, it's one of those ones that you keep sniffing yourself all day long and when it finally disappears, you spritz yourself again to start those magical, euphoric, inhalations. It lasts pretty long as well for an Avon fragrance from what I gather. Like some of the other commentators above; I agree that Avon should definitely bring the original Rare Rubies back, like as a permanent fixture not just a holiday tease! To me, this perfume is what the whole olfactory experience is about, sensuous, pleasurable, enjoyable. This perfume is so very opulent, spicy-sweet, oriental, and rich, I haven't found another Avon fragrance like it, let alone another fragrance like it. Asking everyone here, has anyone found something similar to this fragrance? I haven't tried Cinnabar yet, is it really like it? Any other ones like it? When I got home from the Goodwill that day, I was checking Avon.com to see if they still had Rare Rubies and to my dismay; it had been discontinued. Oh, Oh ((hand raised, squirming)) does anyone know the actual nose or noses behind this fragrance? I know Avon is the company which delivers this beaut, but I would love to know the actual fragrance designer/(s). It's such a rich, gorgeous smell, it leads me to believe that whomever created this fragrance would have other magnetic/magical/ euphoric masterpieces. I would be very grateful to know the nose ;) So eventually, I run out of this gem :( This is where I am gonna seem desperate, fair warning, and don't try this at home!....so I go to my kitchen, open up the seasonings cabinet and reach for Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Coriander, ginger, and fill up a little jar, then I go to my local dollar store and find a very ambery/musky dollar scent. I mix it all together and wait....I'm still waiting...hoping that over time it will go through a metamorphosis (a caterpillar to a butterfly) and end up smelling similar to Rare Rubies...and I still wait! Ever so oft, Avon will re-release it for the holidays. I had gotten a star decanter a couple years back, but something seemed missing from the notes. Now I am not too sure, maybe it's like a fine wine and its an elixir that gets better with age. Last weekend I was at a flea market and found Rare Rubies, again it's in a different type bottle and the notes do seem different, from that first experience at Goodwill. The notes are: African orange flower, ylang-ylang, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, amber, musk and sandalwood. On the box I have now, it reads; coriander, rose, and amber. Not too sure if it is absolutely the same. Avon, if you are reading this now, don't you think that enough people have requested that you bring this perfume back? I mean I think there is even a Facebook page dedicated to this perfume. It truly is a gem and yes it has a perfect name; Rare Rubies! If you are into an oh so spicy/sweet-oriental/oh wow effect perfumes than you would love this scent. MondeoGirl, hazel1812, NebraskaLoves, Lotofire, Christy2198, Lilahveil, RavynG, I feel you!

Could not resist the allure of the star-shaped bottle in my Avon catalog; ordered a $10 bottle and it arrived last night. The box is very festive (bold red and gold abstract starburst), the fluid is pale pink, and the glass bottle is nice—heavy, spanning my palm in size, with a carved pattern in the glass along the arms of the star and a gold twist cap. This is not a spray top perfume, but an old fashioned decanter; unfortunately, the bottle will not stand on its own, which makes me concerned about leakage. We’ll see how that goes. The perfume starts with a blast of....well....Avon. I don’t know how else to describe it; it’s a musky, aldehydic, bland alcoholic scent that I associated with most of Avon’s fragrances; and I enjoy many Avon scents. Fortunately, that fades rapidly and a mild, slightly spicy sandalwood musk appears. It is a powdery, understated fragrance, not as strong as I had anticipated—I saw the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and expected this to be a spicy diva. It’s not. It is musky and very powdery to my nose; it almost catches in the back of my throat, like a whiff of talcum powder taking my breath away. The musk is more of a white musk, and the sandalwood is demure. There is spice, but it’s not powerful or deep—it’s faded, like spices leftover from last Christmas in the back of the cupboard. It’s pleasant enough; I can’t imagine this fragrance offending anyone, nor does it inspire. I’m underwhelmed a little disappointed; it’s not the epitome of holiday cheer I had hoped it would be. If I need something understated, cozy and unassuming, this fragrance will work well; “like” but not “love”. Edit: Well, this is enough of a "like" to warrant re-wearing and some extra sniffing--I've walked past my dresser and caught a whiff of this that caught me pleasantly off guard. It does still start off oddly, but it warms up and seems to last for 6+ hours. It think this could make a nice every day perfume for chilly months. Edit x 2: So, I've worn this for 3 days in a row (a rare thing for me these days) and it is really growing on me. May have to amend my review to "love"!

I had the wonderful fortune of experiencing this after smelling on paper at a thrift shop; a full bottle of the fan shaped top perfume. At first spray, I was caught off guard by the "Avon Blast" but I knew within seconds I had struck Rare Rubies for certain. This fragrance smells highly expensive. It is classy, elegant, exotic, unique, sexy, warm, spicy, amber-y, mysteriously divine. I tried a bit on my arm after the paper test and without even waiting for the dry-down knew I had just experienced one of the finest oriental frags I have ever smelled. Four full bottles of EDP in boxes for $5.99. I bought two before closing and will be waiting at the door to wipe out the rest first thing in the morning... and they are not for resell. Avon created a masterpiece with Rare Rubies. An oriental fragrance lover's 'add to collection immediately and never run out.' It is absolutely beautiful in every way. Update - I made sure to haul out this morn to be there when the doors opened to grab the other bottles. As this masterful blend blooms and unfolds it only becomes more glorious. The cinnamon/cassia settles down and I detect a nice dose of fine myrrh (opoponax?) in deep amber along with other intriguing complexities. It is a true gem. My scent sensitive husband does not share my love for frags, especially my preference for unusual niche scents. Rare Rubies is hardly a niche frag, but is definitely far from ordinary. Extraordinarily opulent! Well done, Avon! Bring it back.

A very spicy cinnamon and nutmeg dominant fragrance with a lot of sandalwood and amber base swimming in Avon signature musk. I get a lot of ylang ylang as this develops. I can see why people think of Samsara when they smell this because of the big sandalwood and ylang presence in this perfume. So, if you love Samsara and want something somewhat similar this is a super inexpensive option. eBay has a lot of these for reasonable prices. If you love fragrances like Samsara, EL vintage Cinnabar (which is sooo expensive on eBay now). You will love Rare Rubies as well. This is such an elegant, sophisticated perfume. They don't make them like this anymore. I'm glad I picked this up a long with Rare Emeralds. Both of them are absolutely gorgeous and rich. They have a niche quality to them. If you put either of these fragrances in a niche bottle and charged hundreds of dollars no one would flinch. Avon had wonderful fragrances at wonderful prices and were light years ahead of their time. I plan building up my vintage Avon collection over the next few months. Great value for money. If you love cinnamon check this one out.

Rare Rubies is a people-pleaser perfume. There are certain fragrances I wear that evoke responses from the opposite sex. You can see it in their eyes. Their pupils dilate. They stare a little longer than they should. You can almost feel them inhaling you in. Rare Rubies is one of them. With spicy notes of ginger, coriander and nutmeg, warmed by cinnamon, feathered by musk, tempered by amber and surrounded by sandalwood, Rare Rubies envelops itself around a person. This perfume radiates outward generously and that's ok, because its scent is lanquidly sexual. There are hidden thoughts that sit with these fumes-akin to the librarian with glasses fantasy. Is Rare Rubies naughty or nice? You determine the outcome. This wonderful fragrance lasts for hours. Unfortunately, it's discontinued, but available on the secondary market,at flea markets and I do know some Avon dealers will track it down for their customers. Definitely worth trying.

this opens with orange blossom, cinnamon, sandalwood and amber. i get a hint of ginger and ylang ylang. surprised the florals aren't voted higher as they are pretty prominent for me. sandalwood is strong in this too. it smells spicy close up but a bit more floral wafting from afar. this is really gorgeous and elegant, an amazing thrift store find, as i had been wanting to try this. i've been trying a lot of vintage avons lately and they do not disappoint!

One of my favorites for the holidays and winter in general, I wish I would have bought it when it first came out 20 years ago. I remember first smelling it on my Avon lady and thinking how lively and spicy it smelled, like the old cliche cinnamon spice and everything nice, I put this fragrance in that category with a nice mix of cinnamon, which is what I always smell the most, ginger, nutmeg and coriander; spicy, upbeat, fun, and I never tire of it.

This is warm and cozy, with a moderate dose of spice. It's one of the better fragrances from the "Rare" line from Avon, and a bit more sophisticated than their usual lineup. It's getting tougher all the time to get a bottle since it's been discontinued. This is perfect for wearing at night, especially in the fall or winter. I keep a small bottle in my rotation and consider it a treat when I wear it.

I was lucky to be able to get this on the re-release this winter, in a large star shaped bottle, with no spray, which is ok. Spicy yumminess, warm, velvety and I suppose it reminds me of Shalimar in a very distant way. All the spices blend very nicely giving a warm, cozy feeling. Cinnamon and Nutmeg are most noticeable to me. Great staying power.

What a genuinely lovely fragrance. It has everything I could ever want - warm spices, comforting cinnamon, and a subtle powdery base. The opening is beautiful, but Rare Rubies only blossoms more the longer you wear it... long lasting, but gentle and pleasing. This is definitely going to become my everyday winter scent.

This was my favorite perfume and I was devo when they stopped making it. Why dose it never come back as old favorite as they sometimes do with other fragrances. It would be so nice to be able to have it back on the market again I bet it would be a great seller and avon could rake in a fortune. Why was it dicontinued???

back when I first sold Avon I got this and every time I wore it I was asked what it was. It was warm, spicy, with hints of mid/base notes. I like cinamon is fragrance too so it was a winner for me. I hope they bring it back would defiantly stock up!

I really love this perfume. Wish avon would bring it back. Sick of seeing it on eBay for far too much . Love the warm spicy notes in it, does last long aswel definitely worth investigating.

I didnt mind this, but the bf thought sillage was too strong, maybe I over applied it...stronger than I thought it would be, and it does remind me of a lighter cinnabar

I absolutely loved this! It was my signature scent,everybody knew it was me if they smelled it. I hate how it has been discontinued.

I love this fragrance. I wish this would continue. Besides, I will rather buy perfumes brand new.

I put on my Oscar de la Renta Espirit de Oscar just now (it's relatively new to me) and realized something about it reminded me of the elusive Avon Rare Rubies. So I compared the listed notes and it turns out that the only note they share is the African Orange Flower. It is SO beautiful. There is something citrusy yet slightly powdery in both fragrances, so even though they are not exact dupes by any means, if you love one I'm pretty confident you will love the other! Espirit is also discontinued, I believe, but is still discoverable on eBay and at discount stores in the U.S. like Ross, Marshall's, TJ Maxx. Hopefuly this answers your question, @Chesheyercat! 10/7/18 - Wearing today as part of my scent-a-day experiment from my inventory and wow, I'm still in love with this! I got a compliment today (from my aunt), sitting across the table from her at dinner, so the sillage is pretty good. Also, it's dried down a bit marshmallow, which I really like! Reminds me a bit of Dolce&Gabbana Pour Femme, just a lighter version. I'm glad I still own this!

A cinnamon skin scent. Who knew it was possible? Avon Rare Rubies is a soft, sweet woody musk with a pronounced cinnamon note. Think Serge Lutens Rousse meets Barbara Bui and whispers softly in her ear. Oriental Spicy to be sure, but soft as kittens at the same time. Rubies stays close to the skin like and lingers all day long. It's very un-Avon in its execution, if you're a person who still writes them off as cheap and common. I have had so many pleasant surprises from Avon scents in the last year that I'm no longer surprised when I find a good one from them! :-) They don't always get the credit they deserve, and Rubies is a perfect example. I think the scent was just a little ahead of its time, and as others have noted, it's a shame this one was discontinued. Rare Rubies was a very impressive scent that any perfume house should have been proud to offer.

This mixture of spices and florals opens with a scent like ginger-spiced sweet oranges . As time passes, the florals become more prominent. Spices remain soft, blended well throughout the sweet amber drydown. Perfect scent for daytime...fresh, spicy, energizing, fun and bright. Would be a great fragrance to wear in cold weather for holiday shopping trips and holiday parties. Silage is moderate, not noffensive. Longevity is very good...lasts all day. Luckily, this year, Avon has brought back the original formula Rare Rubies in a limited edition, packaged in a new star-shaped glass bottle for the holidays. It's available now on Ebay for a VERY small price !

So happy I got the chance to try this cinnamon, oriental beauty back in 2000! Wore this to work one day and compliments galore greeted me at the door!! I vividly recall it being warm, rich, and sensual, with good lasting power to boot. Can a cinnamon infused frag get better than this? I don't think so. My only regret is opting for a purse-sized spray rather than a FB. Oh well, at least I did experience this spicy baby.