The Legacy of Marina B

The Edit:

February 26, 2024

The Legacy of Marina B

On February 14^th of this year, designer Marina B passed away. She was 93. To say that Marina B was an icon of fine jewelry seems too small of a sentiment. The granddaughter of Sotirios Bulgari, who founded the famed Italian house, Marina finished her studies in art and mathematics before taking over the helm of the family business from her father, Constantino, in 1973. Soon after assuming the role of CEO for the brand, Marina realized that she needed to break from the family business in order to fully realize the potential of her creativity and vision, and, in 1978, she launched Marina B. Her first showroom was in Geneva, with stores in London, Milan, Monte Carlo, Paris and New York quickly following.

Marina Bulgari, image courtesy of @marinabjewelry

It has been noted extensively that Marina B’s jewelry was profoundly popular among women entering the work force in greater numbers during the time she hit the scene. Her jewelry was chic and wearable, and many of her innovative designs catered to the specific needs of the newly minted working women, such as convertible earrings that could take a woman from the board room to an evening affair.

Yet more than just addressing a growing need, Marina B’s jewelry actually established an aesthetic, a way of carrying oneself in the world, with all of those inherent implications. Her jewelry was bold, yet feminine, heavy architectural and sculptural gold, saturated gemstones, unapologetically scaled chokers and cuffs that were constructed to be worn with effortless grace. The resulting effect was one of empowerment, conveying the confidence and command needed to succeed as a woman in a male-dominated world, and gaining the attention and admiration of both the every-day well-heeled, and well-known jewelry afficionados alike, such as Sophia Loren, Jackie O, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor.

Image courtesy of Harry Hoffman

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Image courtesy of Harry Hoffman

“Marina B was very courageous, extremely creative, exceptionally talented; she was a pioneer in her field,” noted Ioannis Alexandris, Antique, Period and Vintage Jewelry expert, Gemologist and Owner of Gemolithos. “Perhaps her most distinctive pieces are the chocker necklaces she created. Usually designed in a set of three of the same inspiration and design, to be worn separately or in combination with one another. Also, her cuff bracelets, which were flat and easy to wear. In a man-dominated world, she certainly established herself, not just as a designer, but as a brand creating jewelry for women that was easy to wear from morning to evening.”

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Image courtesy of Harry Hoffman

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Image courtesy of Harry Hoffman

“One cannot say enough about the influence of Marina B,” enthused Gus Davis, Partner at Camilla Dietz Bergeron. “Marina B was the Belperron of her time. She was a woman in a male-dominated industry, and she was one of those designers that, when you saw her work, you immediately knew it was Marina B, no signature required. A great designer pushes the envelope and designs something that is so different from the rest that you are in awe, and this is what Marina B did. Remember, Marina B was a Bulgari, it was in her DNA, and she was the most brilliant of her time. She will not only be remembered as a great designer, but also as a great woman who broke the glass ceiling.”

Image courtesy of Gemolithos

Known to be exacting and uncompromising in bringing her ideas to life, Marina showcased a reverence for the artform, yet she was not afraid to break the status quo with inventive new gemstone cuts and technical innovations such as her threadless beads. Some of the most distinctive elements of her ground-breaking designs are now considered de rigueur among today’s fashion elite, and themes of Marina B’s overarching style are often mimicked by some of today’s most celebrated contemporary designers.

“I was so excited to add the Marina B collection to our roster last year at COUTURE,” explained Soraya Cayen, owner of Cayen Collection, a high-end jewelry and specialty store located in Carmel, California. “An artist whose creativity drove her to depart from an established major family business is an artist to be truly admired in my opinion. In her case, to become a female jewelry artist in a world dominated by males makes Marina B a personal hero. We are lucky that Marina B was such an artist; her creative spirit helped shaped jewelry design as we know it today. Beautiful, wearable, modern and singular in style, Marina B created art in the form of jewelry and to me that is why her pieces transcend time and fashion.”

Marina B. was sold in the late 1990’s, along with an archive containing over 12,000 design renderings. In 2017, after a succession of owners, Marina B. came under the stewardship of Guy Bedarida, of John Hardy, Van Cleef & Arpels and Boucheron fame, who has continually conveyed the highest esteem and respect for the brand. Recognizing that her work is both of-the-moment and timeless, since taking over the brand, Bedarida has worked to bring classic Marina B. designs to the market, while also creating collections that embody the DNA of the brand, effectively perpetuating the legacy of one of the greatest designers, in any medium, of the 20^th century.