Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
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.
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Amethyst, Aquamarine, Citrine, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Gothic Revival Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
19th Century British Victorian Antique Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s American Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
19th Century British Victorian Antique Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
15k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-19th Century Victorian Antique Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
18k Gold
1960s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Garnet
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Gold
1970s Greek Byzantine Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Agate, 18k Gold
1980s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
18k Gold
1980s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Sapphire, Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
18k Gold
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
18k Gold
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Ruby, 18k Gold
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
Greek Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby