Moonlit Necklace & Flying Home Ring

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:07:00 +0000

Having made its premiere in the northern Italian city of Turin in 1896, La bohème is now the second most frequently performed opera in the United States—so says Wikipedia. Ordinarily, the near-winner might be a little miffed at the first place slot being granted to another, but Tuscan composer Giacomo Puccini loses to no one other than himself. The foremost operatic popularity goes to another of Puccini's masterworks: Madame Butterfly.

Using a visually aesthetic motif similar to that of the aural designs of Puccini, Bohème Jewelry crafts unique pieces that are at once forward-thinking and vintage. Sheryl Pang's handcrafted designs are thoughtful and complex, yet not overly so as to render them inaccessible to the average wearer. They have an air of nineteenth century Parisian cosmopolitanism with a smidgen of Gothic art.

Imagine yourself as a ragtag artist in the French capital under Russian occupation and during the period of Restoration. Your city is on the cusp of a wave of industrialization that will lead to a great number of transformations. With technology, trade, and tourism at your doorstep, the opera houses become a refuge for creativity.

The Moonlit Necklace and Flying Home Ring are anachronistic pieces of jewelry that hearken to the tragically romantic allure to which Puccini's compositions have given voice. Nestled in the center of an oxidized brass fern is a Swarovski crystal the color of sky. The pendant hangs from a sixteen-inch chain that matches the brass of the flora. Painted with a verdigris patina, the brass ring is twisted into a delicate pattern that features a swallow holding two pink-toned Swarovski pearls and a baby blue Czech glass bead in its beak. Both pieces have a feminine sensibility that is delightfully contrasted with the sturdiness of the design.

A chain smoker of both cigarettes and cigars (a staple of the European artistic elite), Giacomo Puccini died of throat cancer just a month prior to his sixty-sixth birthday. As the story goes, a New York orchestra played Chopin's Funeral March the moment news of Puccini's death reached the city, which was, ironically, in the midst of a performance of La bohème.

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, November 30th 2009

Brass Angel Bracelet

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:49:00 +0000

By Belle Style

Full disclosure: I borrowed three bracelets from Belle Style to review, and subsequently requested two of them as gifts. This one, while definitely an interesting and well-made piece, was not one of them.

Of the three bracelets, this was the most masculine and different from many of the other pieces on the company's website. Big (but not clunky) and heavy, were it not for the small, sterling silver angel charm that makes appearances in many of Belle Style's other pieces, I'd have taken this for a man's bracelet at first glance.

After figuring out the unusual, almost hidden clasp (which almost necessitated calling in my partner, who is a mechanical engineer), the bracelet literally slid off my hand. At 8" long, it's a good inch longer than most of the boutique's bracelets; measuring 7.25 millimeters across, it's also a good deal wider. Several other variations of the brass bracelet are offered as well: the Brass Jet, Brass Crown, Brass Lock, and Brass Heart. Prices range from $79—which is the price of the Brass Angel—to $99.

This bracelet in particular is very versatile, and would work with a variety of looks. You wouldn't look out of place wearing it to the office with a suit, or on a weekend outing in jeans. Chances are, like many Belle Style items, it has made its way onto the set of a movie, TV show, or magazine photo shoot.

While it's not my style, you can distinguish it—much like the other Belle Style pieces I have seen—as a high-quality and original piece of jewelry. All of the company's items are handmade, and it's obvious designer Heather Christine takes great pride in her work. While nothing on the site is cheap, Christine's work is a refreshing change from mass-produced bling made in nameless foreign factories.

Written by: M.L. Madison, August 27th 2009