Marina Bulgari
Marina Bulgari, founder of Marina B, a closer look.....
Marina Bulgari born in Rome, Italy in 1930 a member of a family whose name is synonymous with luxury. Her father, Costantino Bulgari, was the first child of BVLGARI jewelry company founder Sotirio Voulgaris.
53951 - Circa 1985 Marina B Ecume Japan Diamond Blackened Gold Earrings
Growing up, BVLGARI was a constant in Marina's life. When her grandfather, Sotirio passed away in 1932, Marina's father and uncle, Giorgio, took over the family business. Marina developed a passion for art, design and mathematics at a young age and, after graduating from Saint Mary’s College in England, returned to Italy to begin contributing her designs to the family business, which she would go on to inherit after the death of her father Costantino. Marina's understanding of jewelry style and proportion made her an asset to the brand, and alongside her sister and cousins, she ran the business for several years before deciding to part ways and branch out to start her own business. Prevented from using the Bulgari name professionally she named her company using her own name and the initial of her surname, Marina B.
53873 - Marina B Gold Diamond Black Onyx French Earrings
Marina opened the first Marina B boutique in Geneva in 1978, and more soon followed in Paris, Milan and New York. In choosing the name 'Marina B', Marina hoped to set herself apart from her family's name, and in no time, Marina B's bold designs, which incorporate geometric lines and sloping curves with boldly colored gemstones and diamonds, earned Marina her own success.
Indeed, Marina's designs perfectly captured the glitz and glamour of the 1980s, attracting a worldwide audience, including a number of celebrities: Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly were all known to wear Marina B to complement their red carpet gowns.
Marina believed that jewelry should be suitable for both daytime and evening wear, and also match the color of the outfits to be worn. Marina felt that jewelry should be highly decorative, and understood the desires of her clients. Her catchy multi-colored pieces are easily recognizable. They tend to be lively, colorful combinations. Marina Bulgari often used black elements or pearls to accentuate the hues of precious stones. Blackened gold, black onyx and black mother-of-pearl in her products set off the shine of diamonds, the play of pearls and the bright or muted colors of precious stones.
53284 - Marina B Gold Black Crescent Hoop Earrings
Decades after Marina founded her signature brand, her distinct style remains as contemporary as ever. Marina B designs continue to appeal to today’s stars, including Rihanna, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Lopez. Her bold designs continue to inspire Marina B’s modern creations, which continue to push the boundaries of jewelry design while respecting the Bulgari family’s sterling reputation for quality.
53288 - Circa 1987 Marina B Gold Onyx Pink Tourmaline Pearl Diamond Earrings
Marina moved to Monaco in 1993 to enjoy the mix of beauty and security and continued to design jewellery until her full retirement in the early 2000s.. In 1999 she sold her company —including hundreds of her original sketches, moldings and vintage jewelry—from her extensive and meticulously kept archives, to the Saudi Arabian Sheik of Jeddah, Ahmed Fitaihi. Paul Lubetsky, CEO of Windsor Jewelers in New York, purchased the brand and all its belongings from Fitaihi in 2010.
45164 - Marina B Cardan Gold Pearl Onyx Russian Quartz Beads Italy Necklace
In 2019 Guy Bedarida became the new creative director of the company, continuing to honor the heritage of Marina B.
The company has launched jewelry based on those original designs and molds using the same materials. Marina B designs were groundbreaking in their time and what makes them a product of the modern era is the use of color, yellow and black gold with a rainbow of colored gemstones. Guy Bedarida, is continuing the Marina B focus on fine quality gold work set with an array of colored gemstones highlighted with pavé set diamonds. Marina B opened a showroom in New York and based on the success of its debut to the trade, the collection can now be found in Neiman Marcus stores.
SOURCES
https://nasvete.com/luxury-and-splendor-of-marina-b-high-jewelry-art/
https://marinab.com/pages/about
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2011/06/16/marina-b-jewelry-returns/?sh=6a3b8eb236f0
Guy Bedarida:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/style/jewelry-marina-b-guy-bedarida.html
https://marinab.com/blogs/news/guy-bedarida-virtuoso-unmasked?_pos=2&_sid=bdb1dc2cc&_ss=r