Marina B

Sapphire, amethyst and diamond demi-parure, 'Byzance', circa 1978

VAT applies to hammer price and buyer's premium

Auction Closed

May 14, 05:29 PM GMT

Estimate

30,000 - 50,000 CHF

Lot Details

Description

Comprising: a sprung collar, the segments decorated with collet-set cabochon sapphires and pavé-set brilliant-cut diamonds, highlighted with polished amethysts, inner circumference approximately 300mm, expandable; and a pair of ear clips similarly set; each signed Marina B, numbered, maker's marks for Marina B and Jean Claude Duhem, French assay marks for gold.

Cf.: Viviane Jutheau de Witt, Marina B - The Art of Jewellery Design, Milan, 2003, pg. 46-47, for the Byzance necklace produced as a limited series of five colour unique combinations in 1978.

A similar Byzance parure by Marina B was included in the Collection of the Baroness di Portanova, sold at auction in New York, 25 October 2000, lot 310.

Marina B

(1930-2024)

Marina Bulgari Spaccarelli was born into the Bulgari jewellery dynasty in 1930, the granddaughter of Sotirios Voulgaris who founded the legendary Roman maison in 1884. Upon Sotirios’ passing in 1932, Marina’s father and uncle, Constantino and Giorgio, took over the family business.

Bulgari was a constant in Marina’s life which fueled her passion for art and design from a young age. After graduating from Saint Mary’s College in England, she returned to Italy and began contributing her own designs to Bulgari’s studio where her understanding of style and proportion made her a great asset to the brand. When Constantino passed away in 1973, Marina and her sister, Anna, took on a greater role in the running of the company but, in time, Marina decided to forge her own path.

In 1977, Marina founded her own brand: Marina B. The abbreviation of her last name—and the decision to forgo the inherent advantages that would have come from using it—allowed for the creation of an independent identity. The first Marina B boutique opened in Geneva in 1978 followed by locations in Paris, Milan and New York. Marina’s transition from designing for Bulgari to her own brand aesthetic may be likened to the transformation of a well-bred young woman who, after a season abroad, returns home with an enviable sophistication and edginess. This is captured by the masterfully rendered choker and earclips: the Bulgari design DNA has evolved into a fearless yet playful aesthetic that captures the unflinching dynamism of the 1980s.

Marina B retired from designing in the late 1990s, selling her company in 1999. She passed away recently in February 2024. Her passing goes hand in hand with a renewed interest in Marina B’s body of work which is now celebrated as one of the most influential of the late 20^th century.