Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
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.
1980s Modern Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
1960s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Greek Greek Revival Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
22k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
22k Gold
1970s Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Greek Revival Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Emerald, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Greek Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Etruscan Revival Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Crystal, 18k Gold
20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Yellow Gold
20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
22k Gold
1970s Greek Modern Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Gold, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Greek Hellenistic Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
18k Gold
20th Century Greek Etruscan Revival Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
18k Gold
20th Century Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
24k Gold
1970s Greek Greek Revival Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Malachite, 18k Gold
20th Century European Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Lapis Lazuli, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Greek Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold
1970s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Crystal, Rock Crystal, Ruby, Gold
20th Century Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Diamond, Aquamarine, White Gold, 18k Gold
1960s Greek Art Nouveau Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
