Lalaounis Bull Heads
Late 20th Century Cufflinks
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Greek Modern Cuff Bracelets
Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Greek Greek Revival Cocktail Rings
Amethyst, 18k Gold
20th Century Greek Etruscan Revival Drop Necklaces
18k Gold
2010s Greek Modern Bangles
Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Greek Modernist Clamper Bracelets
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
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Mid-20th Century American Modern Cuff Bracelets
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s French Retro Boxes and Cases
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Bangles
Emerald, 18k Gold, Enamel
20th Century Greek Dangle Earrings
Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century European Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque More Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
1990s North American Etruscan Revival Chain Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Retro Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel, Platinum
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Boxes and Cases
18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Greek Bangles
22k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1840s Victorian Bangles
Diamond, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Contemporary Bangles
Jade, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s British Blouses
1990s Greek Fashion Rings
Yellow Gold
20th Century Greek Multi-Strand Necklaces
Yellow Gold
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Vintage 1980s Greek Fashion Rings
Emerald, Tiger's Eye, 22k Gold
Late 20th Century Greek More Bracelets
Emerald, 18k Gold
Ilias Lalaounis for sale on 1stDibs
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.