Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
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.
1990s Greek Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Yellow Gold
20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Ruby, Gold
Late 20th Century Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Greek Classical Roman Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
18k Gold
1980s Greek Modernist Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Rock Crystal, 18k Gold
1970s Italian Art Deco Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 18k Gold
1970s Greek Retro Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
18k Gold, Sterling Silver, Yellow Gold
20th Century Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Ruby, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Greek Classical Greek Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Beryl, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Greek Modern Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1950s Greek Revival Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Coral, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Silver
20th Century Greek Greek Revival Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Amethyst, 18k Gold
20th Century British Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Ruby, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Greek Retro Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
18k Gold, Sterling Silver, Yellow Gold
20th Century Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Greek Hellenistic Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
1970s Modern Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Yellow Gold
1980s Greek Contemporary Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Modern Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Yellow Gold
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Greek Classical Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
1990s Greek Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Emerald, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Ruby, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
1960s Greek Retro Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Greek Retro Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Silver