Bachendorf’s, Dallas’ Beloved Fine Jewelry Emporium, Adds Marina B to Its Enviable Roster of Brands

Bachendorf’s, Dallas’ much-loved emporium of fine jewelry and timepieces, opens its fifth location this winter and has recently added the storied Marina B collection to its enviable roster of brands. It’s a brilliant match: Bulgari and Bock — two names steeped in lore and legacy.

The B in Marina B stands for Bulgari. A third-generation member of the heralded family of jewelers, Marina’s grandfather founded the company in 1884. Born in 1930, Marina spent decades working and learning at the knee of her family’s storied jewelry emporium in Rome, becoming co-CEO in 1973. In 1976, Marina left to forge her own path, creating her company and name — and perhaps a little drama in the wake. In lockstep decades later, fourth-generation jeweler Fallon Bock, great-granddaughter of Bachendorf’s founder Abram Bock, found a way to carve her path within the family business, launching her collection, Fallon B. by Bachendorf’s in 2021.

Marina, who died in 2024 in Rome, leaves a legacy that includes the Onda and Pneu collections with her innovative spring mounting and fresh, modern treatment of pavé diamonds and interchangeable features; an iconic stone cut called the chestnut, half between the shape of a triangle and a pear; the use of unthreaded beads in her Atomo and Cardan collections; the establishment of her Madison Avenue boutique in 1986; and a legion of famous clients including Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren. 

In 2017, Marina B creative director and chairman Guy Bedarida, whose glittering CV includes designing for Boucheron on Place Vendome, head designer of Van Cleef & Arpels in New York, and long-time creative director of John Hardy, acquired the majority stake in the brand. His credo: to honor Marina B’s considerable legacy while pushing it forward with a new look, such as in the Trisolina collar necklace, an 18K-gold necklace with blue sapphires and pavé diamonds at each end, which showcases this past and present pull that feels simultaneously retro and fresh. 

Dallas eagerly awaits the winter opening of Bachendorf’s fifth store at 4555 Travis Street at the base of the new Knox Hotel & Residences, an Auberge Resorts Collection, in the Knox Street development — 2,200 square feet with a dynamic rotation of jewelry residencies, designed by Droese Raney Architects. Reimagining traditional jewelry retail, Bachendorf’s will host intimate experiences with designers, collectors, and brand partners to bring the stories of exceptional craftsmanship to life.

Founded in 1948 by Abram Bock on Commerce Street downtown Dallas, A. Bock Manufacturing Jeweler began as a diamond importing and repair business. His son Harry Bock opened the first Bachendorf’s retail stores in 1977 in Campbell Centre and shortly thereafter in Prestonwood Town Center, followed by a store in Galleria Dallas in the 1980s, cultivating relationships with Cartier, Chopard, Mikimoto, Tag Heuer, and, in the mid-1980s, forging a decades-long partnership with Rolex. In the mid-1980s, Harry’s son Lawrence Bock met David Yurman, bringing him to Dallas, and a legend was born. Lawrence Bock became president and owner in 2010.

Marina B creative director Guy Bedarida will be in Dallas for a Marina B showing at Bachendorf’s Plaza at Preston Center, 8400 Preston Road, on Wednesday, October 28, during Partners Card.