Marina B Pearl Choker

Find the exact marina b pearl choker you’re shopping for in the variety available on 1stDibs. Every item for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using Gold, Silver and Sterling Silver. In our selection of items, you can find a vintage example as well as a contemporary version. Finding the perfect marina b pearl choker may mean sifting through those created during different time periods — you can find an early version that dates to the 20th Century and a newer variation that were made as recently as the 21st Century. As it relates to this specific piece, our collection includes designs that are universally popular, but carat weights, specifically, are sought with frequency. There have been many well-made iterations of the classic marina b pearl choker over the years, but those made by Marina J. and Marina B are often thought to be among the most beautiful. A bead version of this piece has appeal, but there are also briolette cut and brilliant cut versions for sale.

The price for a marina b pearl choker starts at $700 and tops out at $250,000 with these necklaces, on average, selling for $1,400.

No stranger to fanciful, bold jewelry designs, Marina Bulgari is the granddaughter of the founder of the legendary luxury house BVLGARI. In the 1970s, she established her own brand, Marina B, and her vibrantly colored, exclusive accessories were widely coveted by jewelry lovers of the 1980s. The same goes for the collectors of today. 

When her grandfather Sotirios passed away in 1932, Marina Bulgari’s father Constantino took over the iconic jewelry house alongside his brother Giorgio. Since she was a child, her passion for art and design was wholly enriched and broadened thanks to the historically celebrated family business that was growing in popularity around her. She studied at Saint Mary’s College in England and upon graduating began to contribute her own designs to BVLGARI. When her uncle Giorgio died in 1966, Marina began to help run the business. When her father passed away in 1973, she took his place at the luxury house and remained there for three more years before striking out on her own.

The first Marina B boutique opened in Geneva in 1978. In the years that followed, more locations were established in Milan, New York City and Paris. Marina’s brand embodied luxurious, easy-to-wear jewelry — for women, by women. Women of the era were newly independent, and the jewelry industry — its workshops, boutiques, and other areas of the business —  had long been led by men. Alongside Marina, the likes of Elsa Peretti, Angela Cummings and a range of others whose work is still being brought to light today would change that.   

Elizabeth Taylor — a dedicated enthusiast of BVLGARI’s dazzling eye candy and the sinuous snake motif that has come to be synonymous with the brand — was among the high-profile admirers of Marina B jewelry in its early days, and her accessories could frequently be seen as part of Taylor’s red carpet ensembles. Marina drew on Japanese and Byzantine traditions and created adornments that were stylized and graphic. Her work was fresh and innovative — for her Pneu collection, she created earrings that could be worn as either drop earrings or studs and in 1980, she unveiled a unique gem cut she called the Chestnut, which landed somewhere between a trilliant cut and a pear cut. This would become a signature of the brand.

Marina introduced other major collections such as the Shirine in 1984 as well as the Atomo and Cardan collections in 1989 before retiring during the 1990s. Ahmed Fitahihi, a Saudi Arabian sheik, bought the company in 1999 before it changed hands again in 2011 when it was acquired by the chief executive of Windsor Jewelers, Paul Lubetsky. In 2017,  Italian-born French jewelry designer Guy Bedarida — an alum of Boucheron, Van Cleef & Arpels and a former creative director at John Hardy — took over as majority shareholder and creative director at the band. 

Hollywood starlets how found a lot to love about Marina’s designs over the years. In addition to Elizabeth Taylor, her work was worn by Sophia Loren and Grace Kelly. Marina B choker necklaces are popular among contemporary musicians like Rihanna who wore one at the opening ceremony of Rihanna Drive in Barbados and Alicia Keys, who donned a Marina B choker at her 2013 Superbowl performance. 

Find Marina B earrings, rings, necklaces and bracelets on 1stDibs.

We are fortunate to know much of the world’s long and dazzling history of necklaces, as this type of jewelry was so treasured that it was frequently buried with its owners.

Lapis lazuli beads adorned necklaces unearthed from the royal graves at the ancient Iraqi civilization of Sumer, while the excavation of King Tut’s burial chamber revealed a sense of style that led to a frenzy of Art Deco designs, with artisans of the 1920s seeking to emulate the elegant work crafted by Ancient Egypt’s goldsmiths and jewelry makers. 

In ancient times, pendant necklaces worn by royalty and nobles conferred wealth and prestige. Today, wearing jewelry is about personal expression: Luxury diamond necklaces exude confidence and can symbolize the celebratory nature of a deep romantic relationship, while paper-clip chain-link necklaces designed by the likes of goldsmith Faye Kim are firmly planted in the past as well as the present. Kim works exclusively with eco-friendly gold, and these fashionable, fun accessories owe to the design of 19th-century watch fobs. 

For some, necklaces are thought of as being a solely feminine piece, but this widely loved accessory has been gender-neutral for eons. In fact, just as women rarely took to wearing a single necklace during the Renaissance, men of the era layered chains and valuable pendants atop their bejeweled clothing. In modern times, the free-spirited hippie and counterculture movements of the 1960s saw costume-jewelry designers celebrating self-expression through colorful multistrand necklaces and no shortage of beads, which were worn by anyone and everyone. 

Even after all of these years, the necklace remains an irrefutable staple of any complete outfit. Although new trends in jewelry are constantly emerging, the glamour and beauty of the past continue to inform modern styles and designs. In a way, the cyclical history of the necklace differs little from its familiar looped form: The celebrated French jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels found much inspiration in King Tut, and, now, their Alhambra collection is a go-to for modern royals. Vintage necklaces designed by David Webb — whose work landed him on the cover of Vogue in 1950, two years after opening his Manhattan shop — were likely inspired by the ornamental styles of ancient Greece, Mesopotamia and Egypt. 

On 1stDibs, browse top designers like Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari, or shop by your favorite style, from eye-catching choker necklaces to understated links to pearl necklaces and more.