CULTURE SHARE: Italy on Madison ~ Marina B ~ Reopening Italian Jewelry in NYC
Marina B~
Marina Bulgari is widely regarded as one of the most important women in jewelry of our time. Her adventurous and ambitious spirit led her to leave her family’s famed Maison in 1976 in order to launch Marina B. Determined and able to make her own name whilst honoring her family’s nurtured passion and talented heritage, Marina’s unique style became world-renown for its boldness and timelessness. Rich and opulent yet so very contemporary, Marina invented her own gemstone cuts in addition to reinventing many others. She successfully opened her first showroom in Geneva in 1978, which led to boutiques in Milan, Paris and New York and a worldwide clientele. Marina B’s modern vision and creative excellence inspired a first generation of women purchasing jewels for themselves. In its present day, Guy Bedarida brings the brand into the right now, with beautifully fitting collections that continue to embrace Marina’s innovative aesthetic.
Marina Bulgari was born in 1930 into one of the jewellery industries most famous dynasties and grew up between Rome, Athens and Corfu. 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.
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 first named her company Crisart before changing it to her own Christian name and the initial of her surname, Marina B. 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. She launched a range of bold and colourful collections such as Onda and Pneu focusing on fine quality gold work set with a rainbow of coloured gemstones highlighted with pavé diamonds.
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.
During the 1980s she released a succession of collections, unified by their unapologetically Italian flavour and their chic, joyful spirit. She designed a signature cut and shape which falls part way between a pear shape and a triangle and which can be found throughout her jewe;lery. Her pieces found favour with many glamorous women of the time and were worn by stars such as Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Grace of Monaco, all of whom were renowned for their style. Her pieces were chosen to compliment the red carpet gowns. The firm enjoyed much success and opened independent stores in Milan, London, Paris, New York, Jeddah and Tokyo.
Marina moved to Monaco in 1993 to enjoy the mix of beauty and security and continued to design jewellery until her retirement. 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.
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.
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.
(To purchase one of the pieces and to find out more please go to: https://marinab.com/ or email Lauren@marinab.com / hien@marinab.com )
Soleil Collections
The Soleil Collections point back to the earth and sun. With earthy tones and sunny vibes, this collection brings you back to what is most important ~ the earth, the environment, and nature.
Trisola And Trisolina Collection
Trisola embodies quintessential Italian jewelry, featuring the iconic Tubogas. The dynamic three-dimensional form crafted in 18K Gold, wraps fluidly around the wrists and fingers, accented with tips of diamonds, emeralds, rubies or sapphires. Made exclusively by hand in the unique Marina B cut, the highly engineered internal spring mechanism allows for increased flexibility, whilst ensuring sublime finishes. This assertive collection is a true representation of the powerful personality of the Marina B brand.
Using Trisola as inspiration, new Creative Director Guy Bedarida uses his distinctive handwriting to create an unequivocally forward looking first collection, Trisolina. Hand-made in Italy in 18K gold and diamonds, Trisolina marks the evolution of the Marina B brand.
Dynamic silhouettes create a sense of movement across the body, framing features and highlighting curves in a sensual harmony. Innovation meets traditional craftsmanship in the creation of fluid internal springs, in clean and lithe titanium finishes. Bedarida introduces chokers, a reference to the very best from the Marina B archives; continuous uncompromising modern luxury. This alluring collection is the epitome of life in jewels.