Lalaounis Shell
Vintage 1980s Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Greek Clip-on Earrings
Agate, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Brooches
Pearl, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Gold, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century Greek Clip-on Earrings
Gold
20th Century Greek Modern Clip-on Earrings
Rock Crystal, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
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Vintage 1980s Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cuff Bracelets
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold
Early 2000s Italian Cuff Bracelets
Sterling Silver
2010s Greek Modern Bangles
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s American Modernist Cocktail Rings
Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Greek Modernist Clip-on Earrings
22k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Greek Hellenistic Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Etruscan Revival Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Gold
20th Century Greek More Rings
Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Sterling Silver
1990s Greek Classical Roman Fashion Rings
18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Tourmaline, Apatite, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Greek Drop Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Greek Multi-Strand Necklaces
Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s French Modernist Cocktail Rings
Peridot, Gold, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
Recent Sales
Late 20th Century Greek Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Greek Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Greek Beaded Necklaces
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Clip-on Earrings
Crystal, Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Greek Drop Earrings
20th Century Greek Serving Bowls
Late 20th Century Greek Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Unknown Cocktail Rings
Gold, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Greek Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Greek Retro Cluster Rings
Diamond, Gold
20th Century Greek Etruscan Revival Clip-on Earrings
22k Gold
20th Century Greek More Earrings
18k Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold
Vintage 1970s American More Necklaces
18k Gold
20th Century Greek More Earrings
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Greek Clip-on Earrings
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.