Jeweler Marina Bulgari Dead at 93
MILAN – Marina Bulgari, a third-generation member of the famous Italian jewelry family, has died aged 93.
She was the granddaughter of Sotirio Bulgari, the Greek silversmith who established the famous Roman jeweler in 1884. Marina had served as co-chief executive officer of Bulgari before leaving to start her own independent label, Marina B., in 1978.
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Her collections were known for their colorful, bold and feminine designs and counted Marella Agnelli and Sophia Loren as among her loyal customers.
“Mrs. Marina Bulgari was a visionary and courageous woman,” said Jean-Christophe Babin, chief executive officer of Bulgari, which has been controlled by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton since 2011. “An exceptional designer who has been able to innovate in the world of jewelry in complex historical moments and with unparalleled determination. The audacity with which she lived her life made her even more unique and an example for those who had the privilege of living alongside her and for future generations. An unforgettable member of the Bulgari family.”
In 1980 Marina developed a new technique, creating smooth triangle-cut gems with rounded edges – shapes that were called The Chestnut — and, among her signature designs, she realized jewels by stringing beads without drilling them.
She opened a boutique on Madison Avenue in New York in 1986, building a solid market in the U.S.
In 1993, she moved to Montecarlo and ran her company until 1996.
In the late ’90s, Marina B. was sold to private investors, and Bulgari stayed on board as an adviser for several years before she retired. The brand went through another change of hands in 2012, with Paul Lubetsky, an investor and CEO of Windsor Jewelers, taking control of Marina B. Two years later, her nephew Giorgio Bulgari was named creative director of the brand, leveraging an impressive archive of 12,000 sketches.
In 2017, Marina B. found a new majority owner in Guy Bedarida, the former creative director of John Hardy, and Giorgio Bulgari set up his own company, Giorgio B, that year.
“This is one of the most exciting brands available to buy,” said Bedarida at the time of his interest in Marina B. “They’re all part of big groups, and this is one of the last ones that’s independent, which makes it unique.”
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