Today Ilias Lalaounis jewelry brand is one of the two largest in Greece and is widely known beyond its borders. Its ancestor was born in Athens in 1920 in a family of watchmakers, he received his education in economics and law, but then became an apprentice in his uncle’s jewelry company, which he headed during the Second World War (by the way, that company – Zolotas – is now the second largest in Greece by a jewelry manufacturer).
At the same time, he began to carefully study the jewelry art of ancient Greece. And in the 50s, he finally formulated the concept of his own brand, which became its hallmark – he decided to revive some of the ancient technologies, combine them with the latest technological advances and embody all this in obviously modern jewelry, but with a recognizable ethnic flavor and obvious references to ancient times. Moreover, over the years, Ilias ceased to be inspired only by the art of his ancestors, and he had collections with Scythian, Chinese jewelry, and even jewelry in the Tudor style.
Over time, the four daughters of Ilias joined the company’s affairs, who to this day continue the work of their father, who, alas, died at the end of 2013.
Over 50 years of his successful career, Lalaunis has created more than 50 jewelry collections and about 17,000 pieces of jewelry.
Most of the decorations of Lalaunis can be seen in the museum named after him in Greece. The exposition is divided into periods that inspired the jeweler to create certain collections.
Golden Dawn of Art (which includes 4 collections inspired by the art and archaeological finds of ancient Europe: Dawn of Europe, Paleolithic-Neolithic, Ilion and Horseshoes)
Collections inspired by space, biology and technology (“Biosymbols”, “Movement in space”, “Drops and chitons”, “Zodiac signs”, “DNA”, “Chaos and its galaxies”)
Collections inspired by nature (“Pastoral”, “Wild Flowers of Greece”, “Shells”, “Swans and Dolphins”, “Microcosm”)
