The recent tendency in fine jewellery design has been towards linear minimalism and spare, precious metals. But as the high street has cottoned on, so has the desire for something richer. It’s fitting, then, that the work of the woman who did much to define the opulent jewellery aesthetic of the 1980s is back in the frame.
Marina Bulgari, a scion of the eponymous Roman jewellery house and its one-time co-chief executive, left the family business in 1973 and set up Marina B in 1978. Drawing on her own glittering social network, Marina exhibited in exclusive hotels, from Gstaad to Monte Carlo, growing her elite but global fan base. She sold her business in 1999 and it changed hands a couple of times before her nephew, Giorgio Bulgari, took the helm in 2014. He has spent the past two years reviving the brand and Marina’s classic designs, defined by her signature unexpected colour clashes, elegant way with materials and innovative construction.
Cuff, from the Marina B high jewellery collection
Giorgio has now made his first foray into high jewellery with the launch of the unique Oursin (sea urchin) collection, which looks to pick up where Marina left off. ‘Her goal was finding the right proportions to achieve balance,’ says Giorgio. ‘She used springs in place of links in necklaces or bracelets, and devised ways to string pearls and coloured stones together without putting them on a traditional strand.’
She also chose to use blackened gold as a device to accent the diamonds, yellow gold and precious stones in her designs. With Oursin, Giorgio pays tribute by opting for a base metal of blackened aluminium.He has also used moonstones and diamonds in the distinct Marina B teardrop shape.
Taking up the baton and continuing the family tradition, Giorgio is exploring new themes and forms, gaining creative insight in the dazzling archive of more than 10,000 original drawings.Then there is Marina herself, now living in Monte Carlo. ‘We see each other often,’ says Giorgio. ‘We discuss what I am working on and she isn’t shy about saying what’s on her mind which is one of her many virtues and one of the reasons I am so fond of her.
As originally featured in the December 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*213)
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Marina B website
-
Is this the world’s most comfortable sofa? Cozmo and Pearson Lloyd invite you to find outPearson Lloyd and Cozmo lay bare the design process behind ‘Hug’, their new high-backed sofa design, at the eye-opening exhibition ‘Comfort Lab’ during LDF
-
A Mexican clifftop retreat offers both drama, and a sense of placeCasa Yuri, a clifftop retreat by Zozaya Arquitectos, creates the perfect blend of drama and cosiness on Mexico's Pacific Coast
-
Tour David Lynch's house as it hits the marketDavid Lynch's LA estate is for sale at $15m, and the listing pictures offer a glimpse into the late filmmaker's aesthetic and creative universe
-
Art takes London: Tiffany & Co, Damien Hirst and artists take over Selfridges' windowsFour British contemporary artists celebrate Tiffany & Co's pioneering history with a series of storied window displays
-
All smiles: How a grillz jewellery making class in London became an international hitWhat started as a passion project quickly exploded in popularity. We get the story behind the grillz-making workshop at Cockpit London
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to knowThese independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
-
Playing it cool: pearls are having a momentWe've been deep-diving into boutiques around the world to find the very best calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form. It seems jewellers have been busy rethinking pearls, with contemporary (and often affordable) results
-
Eternity rings for the modern coupleEternity rings, whether sleekly minimalist or sprinkled in diamonds, can be a chic and contemporary love token
-
CryptoPunks come to life on Tiffany & Co pendantsTiffany & Co has partnered with blockchain infrastructure company Chain to create custom pendants and NFTiffs
-
Order of the day: Pomellato’s high jewellery takes us from dawn to duskPomellato’s new high jewellery collection, La Gioia, tells the story of a day in precious stones
-
Anklets welded onto the body make romantic and enduring jewellery tokensAtelier VM’s ‘L’Essenziale’ jewellery collection now includes slender gold anklets
