Lalounis Vase

It’s fitting that Ilias Lalaounis (1920–2013) is the only jeweler ever inducted into the prestigious Académie des Beaux-Arts — the Greek jeweler’s creations, such as his decorative gold necklaces and rings, are less fashion adornment and more works of art.

Lalaounis was born in Athens in 1920 to a family of goldsmiths and watchmakers with origins in Delphi. Before turning to the family business, Lalaounis studied law, economics, business and music and trained with the painter Alexandros Alexandrakis. Such a well-rounded education laid the foundation for his unique approach to jewelry.

Lalaounis took the helm of his uncle’s jewelry company in 1940. The impact of the Second World War on Greece inspired the jeweler to celebrate his country’s history by reinterpreting its artifacts into new works of art. In 1957, Lalaounis founded the Greek Jewelers’ Association and exhibited at the Thessaloniki International Fair, showcasing the first of his “collections,” as he would come to define his phases of work. This, the Archaeological Collection, was informed by classical and Hellenistic history.

Lalaounis would go on to find new ways to render historic motifs in gold and gemstones after founding his namesake house in 1969. For his 1970s-era collection, Blow Up, he displayed gold pieces inspired by Minoan art on his models’ entire bodies; after opening a store in Tokyo, he presented a collection informed by Japanese art. Later, Lalaounis introduced a collection inspired by Native Americans at his Madison Avenue store in Manhattan. One of the jeweler’s most important commissions came in 1976, when he designed a collection that drew on Persian art for Empress Farah of Iran.

In 1984, Lalaounis explored his unique creative vision with a book, Metamorphoses. By the 1990s, he had stores across Europe as well as in Tokyo, Hong Kong and New York City, and his work had been exhibited at the National Museum of American History and the Penn Museum in Philadelphia, to name a few. In 1994, he founded his own eponymous museum in Athens, with a permanent collection of pieces from 45 of his collections. Lalaounis died in 2013.

Lalaounis’s research-driven approach to jewelry design gives his pieces a depth on par with any art form.

Find an ornate assortment of Ilias Lalaounis’s yellow-gold necklaces, rings and more on 1stDibs.

Antique and vintage silver candleholders and candelabra serve as decorative pieces and elegant sources of illumination in any dining room.

A candleholder can come as an individual piece or in a set. These objects vary in size and shape depending on the candles they are designed to hold as well as the era in which they were made. A candelabra is a more ornate and larger version of a candleholder.

Candleholder sets and candelabra can essentially serve as tabletop chandeliers. Adding these objects to your dining table can help establish an atmosphere and an air of elegance any time you gather with close friends or family.

Some of the earliest candleholders were made of clay, but by the 17th century, they were mostly made of silver. English silver made between 1660, when Charles II was restored to the throne — which evidently led to an upsurge in demand for items produced with the material domestically — and 1840, shortly after Queen Victoria came to power, is particularly popular with collectors. From this rich, 180-year period we saw examples of two-handled cups with squat bodies embossed and chased with foliage and animals, toilet services, beer tankards with flat-domed lids, wine cups on simple baluster stems, columnar candlesticks and more.

Later brass, copper and other warm metals gave candelabra a warm glow. Candleholders and candelabra have also been made from glass, crystal, ceramic and iron.

Candleholders and candelabra come in a variety of styles. As candelabra have various arms extending from the main stem, these components can range from two to six depending on size, period and style.

From antique examples to contemporary designs, browse a range of antique and vintage silver candleholders and candelabra variations on 1stDibs.