Ilias Lalaounis Vintage 18K Yellow Gold Necklace
View Similar Items
Ilias Lalaounis Vintage 18K Yellow Gold Necklace
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Weight:49 g
- Dimensions:Length: 23.63 in (600 mm)
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1980
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Geneva, CH
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2264222106772
Ilias Lalaounis
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.
- Ilias Lalaounis 18k Hammered Gold Labyrinth Collar NecklaceBy Ilias LalaounisLocated in Austin, TXA simple and elegant "Labyrinth" collar necklace by Ilias Lalaounis in bright 18k hammered yellow gold. The striking necklace of simple collar design, terminating is a squared-off swirl labyrinth of Greek key fret...Category
1990s Greek Hellenistic Choker Necklaces
MaterialsGold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Ilias Lalaounis NecklaceBy Ilias LalaounisLocated in PARIS, FRILIAS LALAOUNIS 22Kt yellow gold hand hammered necklace modeled as two stylized snakes with their head overlapping, stamped "A.21, K22", with ma...Category
Late 20th Century Choker Necklaces
- Ilias Lalaounis Gold Bead Necklace Rrom the 'Minoan and Mycenaean' CollectionBy Ilias LalaounisLocated in London, GBA stylish gold bead necklace by Lalaounis, c.1960s, the necklace from the Minoan and Mycenaean collection, designed as a row of alternating fluted or textured barrel shape beads with...Category
Mid-20th Century Greek Drop Necklaces
Materials18k Gold
- Ilias Lalaounis Carved Bead Ball Yellow Gold NecklaceBy Ilias LalaounisLocated in Holland, PA18k Yellow Gold Carved Bead Ball Necklace by Ilias Lalaounis Greece. Details: Length 16" Weight: 102.4 grams Each Bead: 6.5mm Total Width: 17.5mm Hallmark...Category
20th Century Greek Multi-Strand Necklaces
MaterialsYellow Gold
- Lalaounis Iconic 18 Karat Yellow Gold Fish 1960s NecklaceBy Ilias LalaounisLocated in New York, NYIlias Lalaounis the renown Greek designer and jeweler started his career just at the beginning of the 2nd World War. Inspired by Greek history and antiqu...Category
Vintage 1960s Greek Drop Necklaces
Materials18k Gold
- Lalaounis Ruby Cabochon and Rock Crystal 18k Gold Necklace & EarclipsBy Ilias LalaounisLocated in New York, NYLalaounis necklace featuring four frosted rock crystal plaques within decorative gold frames, centering ruby cabochons, highlighted with round diamonds, together with a pair of match...Category
Vintage 1970s Greek Drop Necklaces
MaterialsCrystal, Rock Crystal, Ruby, Gold