Ten Lalaounis jewels reveal the story of this luxurious jeweller

The wonders of the world, previous and current are an unlimited supply of inspiration for many jewellers and Lalaounis isn’t any exception.  Like many others, Maria Lalaounis, design director of the Greek-family owned Lalaounis agency, travels past her nation to create each figurative and summary designs impressed by a variety of themes from artwork to nature, structure and the animal kingdom.

However there may be way more to Lalaounis’ designs than meets the attention. In contrast to different homes, jewelry making methods play a singularly essential function. Demetra Lalaounis Auersperg, co-CEO and director of worldwide operations, explains: ‘As a lot as we’re identified for jewels with Greek heritage from eras and cultures such because the Minoan, Mycenaean or Byzantine, we’re additionally very a lot about methods. It’s each the design and the methods that outline our jewels. For instance in a Hellenistic impressed jewel that includes the Hercules knot motif we’ll make use of hand weaving and granulation methods that had been utilized in that period, whereas a Neolithic torque choker might be made with hand-hammered gold.’

However the ingenuity doesn’t cease there. Lalaounis cross-pollinates and mixes and matches methods and eras. A Minoan type of gold beads could possibly be made utilizing the gold hammering method from the sooner Neolithic interval. Or a fowl typical of the Hellenistic age that includes delicate granulation markings sits atop a up to date sq. shank.

So distinctive is that this strategy of fusing completely different design types with a spread of producing abilities, that it has set Lalaounis aside. A lot so, that it’s honest to say that Lalaounis has created a mode all of its personal.

It was not all the time this manner within the workshop when founder Ilias Lalaounis was operating the corporate. ‘This isn’t what my father would do’ explains Lalaounis Auersperg ‘he was extra trustworthy to the methods utilized in every interval. At this time, in addition to telling tales, we additionally experiment with methods to work with gold and have added the facet of blending up methods and types. Whereas we could also be impressed by a sure period, we are able to manufacture it in methods not related to that period. We’re all the time discovering methods to make the jewels extra fascinating for our purchasers and for us.’

At Lalaounis, a set by no means dies however evolves by means of a continuing quest for brand new design inspiration in addition to experimenting with manufacturing strategies.  Regardless of these fixed re-imaginings every jewel to bear the Lalaounis hallmark is surprisingly simple to establish.  All of that is solely doable due to Lalaounis’ singular creation course of through which the design workforce works hand in hand with the goldsmiths in its Athens workshops. Reviving and evolving historic handcrafts contributes as a lot to the Lalaounis look as do its designs.

Lalaounis Auersperg says: ‘my sister Maria, the artistic director, doesn’t create like others who would usually go an ideal, completed design to the grasp jeweller. It’s a fixed collaboration between her and the jewellers. Our relationship could be very a lot fingers on, we have now an concept, a imaginative and prescient or only a theme and we draw some fundamental designs however from there we work carefully with the jewellers to give you an preliminary idea to seize what we wish to specific. This provides quite a bit to the piece, as it’s a dialog between the design workforce and the workshop permitting the design to attain the best expression of each the idea and craftsmanship. We additionally spend a whole lot of effort checking how snug the jewels are on the physique and adapt historically arduous to put on methods to be extra wearable.’

The speculation bears out the ultimate outcomes and listed below are ten Lalaounis jewels that convey the spirit of the agency’s design and manufacturing course of.

1 Neolithic tool-inspired ring

The sculptural type of this ring has echoes of the Neolithic torque choker however with a contemporary slant. The again of the gold is hand-hammered, the method most related to the Neolithic period, to supply a remarkably modern look.

2 Hercules Knot necklace

The artwork of hand-weaving gold dates again to the Hellenistic interval of Historic Greece and at the moment the ability is nurtured in creations corresponding to this Hercules Knot necklace. On this laborious course of, every hyperlink is shaped by winding a gold wire round a hand drill that’s then soldered to create a circle. Simply as in weaving, vertical and horizontal rows of hyperlinks are joined to create a robust chain that’s stunning by itself or as a component in a extra advanced creation. 

3 Petal ring

You’ll be arduous pressed to recognise this as a Neolithic-style ring however it’s in truth a fusion of the minimalism of the Neolithic period and an exploration of the floral motif within the form of a gold petal. And there’s extra, the manufacturing workforce needed to see how hammered gold regarded when utilized contained in the cavity containing a cabochon gemstone. The result’s a strikingly luminous ring filled with motion and refined performs of sunshine and shade.

4 Minoan Bead earrings

These lengthy Minoan Bead earrings elegantly seize the sculptural facet of the jewels of this époque. The beads are an integral a part of Minoan tradition and listed below are rendered in a refined hammering strategy of smaller dents related to Hephaestus, the Greek legendary god of fireplace. This end provides depth to the pure lustre of the gold. It’s fascinating to notice that historic vessels additionally usually show this impact, unintentionally created from centuries of use.

5 Helen of Troy earrings

Within the 1870’s Heinrich Schliemann broke the information of the invention of the treasures of Troy together with Helen of Troy’s gold diadem and earrings. He took the well-known {photograph} of his spouse Sophia carrying the jewels. Following the turmoil of struggle, for many years the treasure was thought of misplaced. Missing the originals to information him, within the late 1980’s Ilias Lalaounis created the Helen of Troy assortment based mostly on Schliemann’s booklet concerning the excavation and the picture of Sophia. When the unique jewels surfaced on the Pushkin Museum in Russia within the early 1990’s, it was a fantastic honour for Ilias Lalaounis that his re-creations had been exhibited alongside the originals in 1998. 

6 Byzantine Ruby bracelet

The Byzantine bracelet displays the type of this period identified for its opulent cabochon gem stones and textured gold work. Devoted to the Byzantine type, the rubies are of a deep pink tone and echo the wealthy colors utilized in mosaics. The affect of mosaics can be seen within the geometric background sample of the gold on the band of the bracelet. The rubies are bezel set, as was widespread on the time and mixed with brilliant-cut diamonds that weren’t in use till the nineteenth century. This marriage of methods and types creates a harmonious entire with a timeless look.

7 Nubian gold pendant

The decorations on the aspect of a fifth century Nubian pottery vessel attracted Maria Lalaounis who set herself the problem of expressing the distinctive crescent sample in gold. The gold is hand-chased to create the wealthy texture that mimics the floor of the clay, changing an historic sample right into a completely fashionable jewelry vary with world influences.

8 Sq. Ring with Chicken

The Sq. Ring with Chicken has clear Hellenistic influences in its alternative of animal motif and using advantageous granulation work that’s 3,000 years previous. In distinction, the sq. form of the ring is a contemporary model of this basic Greek theme as interpreted by Maria Lalaounis. This ring is testomony to the Lalaounis’s ethos that design and manufacturing traditions can evolve over time to maintain them alive and related. Click on to observe Instagram reel. 

9 Serpent Ring

From Lalaounis’ Animal Kingdom, the serpent ring seems in many various types. The serpent is a recurring topic in jewelry that has transcended by means of the centuries and Lalaounis is ready to recreate its iconic kinds in numerous methods, giving a particular persona to every rendition. This extremely sculptural model is ageless in its simplicity and is created utilizing the misplaced wax method that was developed within the third millennium B.C.

10 Aurelia chandelier earrings

The Aurelia assortment has hyperlinks to late Roman and early Byzantine jewelry not simply due to the type of the jewels however the strategy of opus interrasile. Since way back to the three rd-Seventh centuries, floral themed jewels created utilizing the opus interrasile method had been widespread. To provide this type of labor, goldsmiths punch holes into gold to create a light-as-air lace impact. The vogue for giant but gentle items inspired Maria Lalaounis to make use of opus interrasile with open lattice work all linked with a number of articulations so the jewels transfer and shimmer with each breath of the wearer.