Lalaounis:
1945–1968

The Beauty of Greek Culture

Born in 1920, Ilias Lalaounis was the third generation of goldsmiths. Due to his fascination of Hellenistic, Minoan and Byzantine art, he decided to revive old forgotten techniques such as granulation, filigree and hand-hammering. 

Despite the fashion for large and sumptuous stones in the 1970s, Ilias Lalaounis focus on the work of the gold, 'the most human material' as he called it.

Due to his inexhaustible creativity and craftsmanship, Ilias Lalaounis was the first goldsmith who was honoured by the Institut de France, Académie des Arts et des Lettres . 

'His craft would not only be about producing an object of beauty;
he would also seek to convey the spiritual and symbolic link of an object to its historical past.'

Among his customers, Maria Callas, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Charlize Theron.

In 1993, Lalaounis opened a museum in Athens with 4000 pieces of his work in order to display his items and to educate the public about the original periods which inspired them.