Reviews of Golconda 
JAR

I was skeptical, but the JAR hype is valid. This is exceptional. There are three primary facets to Golconda, all painted in raw materials of the highest quality: carnation, some other floral that I can't identify, and a remarkable dirt/rot note that reminds me of I Hate Perfume's Black March. This tension between beauty and ugliness is a through line in most of JAR's fragrances - see also the hair-raising indoles of Jardenia and the spice/dill/deep leather notes in Shadow. It takes serious confidence to marry A+ quality raw materials with notes that could alienate possible customers, but this contrast works wonderfully in Golconda and Shadow. (It doesn't work so well for me in Jardenia, which I find kind of horrifying.)

As for the price - yeah, Golconda is really expensive, but there's nothing else out there like it. There are other spicy florals that have a similar structure (CdG red series, Aedes de Venustas Oeillet Bengale, Amouage Opus IX) but none of them are as beautiful as this, or as long-lasting - I get almost 24 hours out of two small dabs to the skin.

Golconda is a pure carnation bouquet, every bit the fresh, spicy flower that I love. I also detect something surprisingly unpleasant, however, like a musty, rotting flower in the bunch. (Fortunately, I only scent it close to the skin, and it soon dissipates.) I don't recognize the Stargaze Lily until I see it mentioned in other reviews, but yes yes, there she is, sweet and fleeting. Overall a spicy, clovey carnation which softens over time but stays true. A beautiful fragrance, but I do prefer Comme des Garçons' Series 2 Red Carnation; it is all the purity of carnation without either the strange rotting note I experience OR the astronomical price tag!

One of my very favorites.

To my nose, it's incredibly simple, mostly a mix of carnation and jasmine (both of which smell like their very expensive real essential oils). With just a dab (it's an extrait), I get more jasmine, which is beautiful. With a slightly heavier application, it's darker, with a deep green leafy undertone, with a peppery spiciness on top.

In terms of criticism, Golconda's simplicity (and price) make it fairly easy to pan. It doesn't seem to have any sort of basenotes at all. It's more like someone said "hey, let's mix these two really expensive amazing ingredients at the perfect ratio and just let it be." As such, it has the low longevity of a natural perfume, but it's just so utterly perfect that I savor it while it lasts, smiling all the while. THE ultimate jasmine/carnation grail.

Although it has been a while since I smelled this I remember it as a very wonderful, if somewhat raw, carnation perfume. Jar fragrances are unique in that they never employ cliched accords or common devices seen in almost all commercial perfumes, and Golconda is no exception.
What Malle's Une Rose does for rose, Golconda does for carnation.
A skyscraper of a carnation.

If you love Caron's Poivre- you will love the spicey Golconda. It's a most beautiful rare carnation fragrance. Quality all the way .Speechless !

For Alpha women who love carnation. not for me

Golconda is probably the most wearer-friendly perfume in the JAR stable. It has definitive notes of clove, carnation and chocolate which are blended nicely into a warm, rich floral fragrance. In short, it is an elegant spicy “floriental” perfume and I would think that Golconda would appeal to a lover of Must de Cartier or Serge Lutens Borneo 1834, for example. After sampling this and other JAR's, I just had to visit the JAR store in Paris (not affiliated). The following is a brief account of my visit: No appointments to smell the JAR perfumes at the JAR store on rue Castiglione are necessary, unlike the rules to view JAR's jewelry line which is sold at a different location. Anyways, you arrive at the JAR store, ring a bell to request entrance and then are ushered by an immaculately dressed man into a silent room which has one small round table and two chairs. The room is sparsely decorated in the French ancien regime style and is painted a dark aubergine. The ceiling has an elaborate crystal chandelier and, as a touch of whimsy, a mural of a thunderous dark sky with a giant lightning bolt. Bottles of each JAR perfume sit nearby on an elevated lighted stand which seems like an untouchable shrine. I did not dare go near them. Once you are seated, you notice that on the table are a number of glass containers which look like covered petri dishes and each contain a piece of crumpled fabric doused in scent. The JAR representative's role is to silently open each glass container one at a time and hold it up to you for a sniff of the saturated fabric. He is extremely courteous even though he will ONLY tell you the name of each perfume and nothing else. JAR's policy is that they do not reveal any notes or comments about their fragrances. It is all meant to be a big secret, I suppose. So there you are, sniffing the contents of each glass container and you want to have a conversation about what you smell with your companion but somehow you get the feeling that it would be uncouth to say anything in the presence of the JAR representative about the perfumes. On the whole, the JAR fragrances are extremely idiosyncratic and very expensive (for a 30 ml bottle, they range from 220 - 530 euros), and would not appeal to the mainstream consumer. For example, I cannot imagine what the average person would think of the distinct dill pickle notes in “Shadow”. However, I get the impression that the weirdness and cult-like secrecy is by design. It is almost as if the JAR perfume line is a side hobby for Joel Arthur Rosenthal and he really doesn't care if his perfumes sell or not. There is certainly no pressure to buy anything but given the silence and somewhat forbidding atmosphere, you do not feel like lingering either. We thanked the JAR gentleman who graciously shook our hands and then left the strange little world of JAR perfumes.