Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
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.
Mid-20th Century Greek Classical Greek Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Pearl, Yellow Gold
1970s Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
18k Gold
20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Gold
20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Contemporary Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
18k Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
18k Gold
20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Gold
1970s European Retro Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Diamond, Gold
1970s French Retro Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold
1890s Antique Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Diamond, Gold, Silver, White Gold
1980s French Contemporary Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
1970s American Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Gold Plate
Late 20th Century Modern Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
1980s Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
1980s Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Late 20th Century Italian Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century French Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Gilt Metal
20th Century Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Yellow Gold
20th Century Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Pearl, Yellow Gold
20th Century Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Ruby, Yellow Gold
1980s Greek Greek Revival Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Crystal, Gold
1970s Greek Modernist Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s Greek Etruscan Revival Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
18k Gold, 22k Gold
1980s Greek Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, 18k Gold
20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Italian Artisan Vintage Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Ilias Lalaounis Brooches
Ruby, Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold