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The La Boheme Bracelets tells the story of the opera through symbolic beads and charms. This piece makes a perfect gift for opera lovers.
La Boheme is often called the world’s favorite opera. A classic story about the freedom of being young and passionate; incorporating the magic of love at first sight. The simple plot devices are part of its enduring and unending charm as a love story is born with a blown out candle and lost key and a lost love is reborn due to a mis-fitting shoe. These everyday touches reach into our hearts as the tale reveals that love is not always so simple and life is so much shorter than we know.This was one of the first bracelets I designed, it was a beautiful journey, exploring the libretto and choosing beads to represent the characters and events of the plot.
"Oh my!!! My LaBoheme bracelet arrived today and it is beyond expectations. Its beautiful. In October of last year I performed in LaBoheme with my community choir ( Voices of the Mountains) and Opera Ithaca. I played the hat vendor that Rodolfo bought the hat from. It's an experience I will carry for the rest of my life. Thank you for bringing the magic of LaBoheme in a bracelet to tell the story." - Andrea
Each bead and charm of the La Boheme Opera Bracelet represents a character or moment from Puccini's work. Some of the most important beads and charms are described below and you can see all of the symbolic descriptions on the spiral chart photo above or to the left. Also, a story chart explaining the symbolism of the beads and charms accompanies every bracelet. Click here to see the chart.
- A snowflake charm, crystals, pearlescent, star shaped and opalescent beads evoke the beauty of Christmas Eve in Paris, emphasized by runs of green and red seed beads.
- I chose four round beads in different colors to represent the four bohemians. A wine bottle charm indicates their antics getting the landlord drunk when he comes to demand the rent.
- Fragile Mimi, who embroiders flowers for a living, is symbolized by a pink glass flower. A key charm is the moment she and Rodolfo come together searching for her key in the darkness.
- The blossoming of love in the moonlight is symbolized by cobalt blue crystals leading to an opalescent moon bead and large flowered heart bead.
- An iridescent crystal bead indicates the flirtatious Musetta; a shoe charm evokes her strategy to ditch her old lover and reunite with Marcello. A green heart symbolizes Marcello’s jealousy when he sees Musetta with another man.
- A gold bead is Alcindoro, Musetta’s rich elderly lover; gold discs or “coins” symbolize the large café bill the Bohemians leave him with.
- In Act 3, green beads indicate jealousy and red hearts are love. Mimi and Rodolfo initially make plans to break up but then decide to remain together until spring. Their duet is indicated with a flowered bead.
- A black bead symbolizes Mimi’s illness: tiny when she first appears and larger and larger to the end. Tiny “earrings” indicate Musetta’s plan to sell her jewels to buy Mimi medicine.
- A cross bead represents Musetta’s prayer for the angelic Mimi when we lose all hope (and reach for the tissues). An angel wing charm symbolizes her death.
