There’s something sweet, maybe even spicy, in the air.
The smell probably is not courtesy of your big city environs, but scented stones, the latest addition from the many smell-good lines of potpourri, sachets, candles and incense for the home.
Called Herbal Metaphors, the stones are made by the Minneapolis-based The Thymes Limited, and come in three scents: eucalyptus, which has a warm citrus smell; lavender, a combination of blue French lavender, green ferns and violet leaves; and vetiver, a mix of patchouli and Chinese cedarwood.
The scents come from light, natural oils that are placed on real stones. Herbal Metaphors come in a 5-by-5-inch decorative ash box, whose clean lines can fit any decor.
In the bedroom, the box can be mistaken as a jewelry box. In the living room, it can pass as a music box or a decorative accessory.
“People may wonder about the source (of the fragrance),” says Janine Capelle, a Thymes spokeswoman, “but the way these stones are packaged, they don’t stand out unless you want them to.”
The fragrance lasts about six to eight months, and a refresher oil is sold to give the scent a boost when it begins to fade.
A box of about two dozen Herbal Metaphors stones sells for $28 ($10.50 for a 6-ounce bottle of refresher oil) at Findables, 907 W. Armitage Ave., 312-348-0674. Store hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
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The stones will be available at Handle With Care, 1706 N. Wells St., 312-751-2929, and Canterbury Chemists, 1020 Lake St., Oak Park, 708-848-7999, later this summer.