Marina B Sapphire

Find the exact marina b sapphire you’re shopping for in the variety available on 1stDibs. Each design created in this style — which was crafted with great care and often made from Gold, Yellow Gold and 14k Gold — can elevate any look. Find an antique version now, or shop for 34 vintage or 42 modern creation for a more contemporary example of these cherished accessories. Finding the perfect marina b sapphire 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. Creating a marina b sapphire has been a part of the legacy of many jewelers, but those produced by Marina J. and Marina B are consistently popular. A bead version of this piece has appeal, but there are also brilliant cut and mixed cut versions for sale. Most of our marina b sapphire for sale are for women, but there are 14 pieces available to browse for men.

On average, a marina b sapphire at 1stDibs sells for $2,450, while they’re typically $400 on the low end and $250,000 for the highest priced versions of this item.

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.