For Marina B, an ’80s Jewelry Favorite, Another Comeback

Marina B’s Salvia is a yellow gold cuff with a 21.78-carat Colombian emerald, pavé diamonds and emeralds and a black spinel cabochon.

To jewelry lovers who came of age in the 1980s, Marina Bulgari was a name to know. A member of the famed Roman jewelry family, the designer boldly introduced her own brand, known simply as Marina B, seducing the glitterati with transformable styles studded with candy-colored gems.

“She created so many powerful pieces, but they were very exclusive — you could only find them at a few events around the world,” said Guy Bedarida, the former head designer and creative director of John Hardy, who acquired a majority stake in Marina B in July 2017. “I was very attracted by her style. And the colors, really unbelievable colors.”

Mr. Bedarida is not the first person to revive Marina B. Ms. Bulgari sold the brand to Ahmed Fitaihi, a Saudi Arabian sheikh, in 1999 and ended her collaboration a year later. In 2011, Paul Lubetsky, chief executive of Windsor Jewelers, bought the ailing company; he remains a minority shareholder.

On a recent Skype call from Bangkok, home to the brand’s gemstone buying office, Mr. Bedarida explained his vision for Marina B, which he describes as “the last independent heritage brand”; why he’s reworking it to include more everyday pieces; and what he learned from meeting Ms. Bulgari. The interview has been edited and condensed.

When did you first hear about Marina B?

It started 35, 40 years ago when I was around 12 years old and looking at French Vogue. Marina B had this very mysterious advertising where you could only see one part of a piece of jewelry. The entire page was black. What is Marina B and why can’t we see the entire jewel? I was very intrigued.

What was your first order of business when you acquired the brand last summer?

The first was the product. I have to show to the world that it’s not a commercial operation; it’s something a real designer is behind. I started working with my workshop to have a small but one-of-a-kind collection for the fall. We created 60 pieces. Then came all the rest: Find the right showroom in the right location, start to put together a team, think about distribution.

Where is everything made?

We make a little bit in Paris and Switzerland, and in one to two workshops in Asia that can do unique things. But 80 percent is done in Italy.

Ms. Bulgari was a prolific designer. What did you discover in the archives?

Oh my goodness! Endless inspiration. About 12,000 original sketches. They are kept in New Jersey in a storage facility that’s temperature and humidity controlled. It’s probably safe against a nuclear bomb. You have to give notice the day before, and they bring them to you in Manhattan. You have to wear white gloves. The drawings are mind-blowing. You can spend hours and hours with them.

How have you organized the collections?

They are divided into three major categories: The first is everyday Marina, which includes some completely new pieces and some reworked from old Marina pieces, like Trisolina, which used to be called Trisola. Then there is a second category, which is more like classic Marina, directly inspired by her style and her collections. It’s bold and designed for the traditional Marina B customer. Third, I wanted to keep the high jewelry. I’m not sure if I have the customer for this high jewelry collection because at the end of the day, I’m a normal person — I don’t jet-set from Gstaad to St. Barths. But I thought Marina B deserved to be in this world of high jewelry, where pieces can easily cost $1 million.

So you’re also promoting Trisolina, a more accessible line?

Yes. That’s because the style and the way you wear jewelry has evolved from when she was designing. Before, a woman was wearing jewelry, and her daughter would want to wear what the mother was wearing. Now it’s kind of the opposite. A mother would look at her daughter, 25 or even 20 years old, and say, “This is cool and fresh.”

Marina B was emblematic of the ’80s. How do you think that decade’s dramatic style holds up today?

Personally, I love the ’80s. But today, clients want something you can wear all the time, without catching the attention of everyone around you. Trisolina is like this. It starts at $2,000 and goes up to $25,000, with an average around $4,000 to $5,000. It’s also a way to appeal to more fashionable people.

Ms. Bulgari lives in Monte Carlo. Have you met her?

I went to visit her twice. She will turn 90 in one year. She came to the Hôtel Hermitage for our meeting and she was wearing sneakers and a down jacket and she said, “You know, Guy, I want to be comfortable now. I don’t want to wear high heels.” That showed me this woman is really modern and knows the new way to live, which I want to reflect in the Marina B jewelry. It has to be comfortable and worn every day, and occasionally you might wear something outstanding.

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