Ten Lalaounis jewels reveal the story of this luxurious jeweller

The wonders of the world, previous and current are an enormous 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’s rather more to Lalaounis’ designs than meets the attention. Not like different homes, jewelry making strategies play a singularly necessary 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 strategies. It’s each the design and the strategies 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 strategies that had been utilized in that period, whereas a Neolithic torque choker can be made with hand-hammered gold.’

However the ingenuity doesn’t cease there. Lalaounis cross-pollinates and mixes and matches strategies and eras. A Minoan model 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 kinds with a spread of producing expertise, that it has set Lalaounis aside. A lot so, that it’s truthful to say that Lalaounis has created a method all of its personal.

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

At Lalaounis, a group by no means dies however evolves by a continuing quest for brand spanking 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 straightforward to determine.  All of that is solely attainable due to Lalaounis’ singular creation course of through which the design group 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 arms on, we’ve got an thought, a imaginative and prescient or only a theme and we draw some fundamental designs however from there we work intently with the jewellers to provide you with an preliminary idea to seize what we need to specific. This provides lots to the piece, as it’s a dialog between the design group and the workshop permitting the design to realize the best expression of each the idea and craftsmanship. We additionally spend a variety of effort checking how snug the jewels are on the physique and adapt historically arduous to put on strategies to be extra wearable.’

The idea bears out the ultimate outcomes and listed here 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 up to date look.

2 Hercules Knot necklace

The artwork of hand-weaving gold dates again to the Hellenistic interval of Historical Greece and at the moment the talent is nurtured in creations similar to this Hercules Knot necklace. On this laborious course of, every hyperlink is fashioned 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 powerful chain that’s lovely by itself or as a component in a extra complicated creation. 

3 Petal ring

You’ll be arduous pressed to recognise this as a Neolithic-style ring however it’s actually 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 group wished to see how hammered gold regarded when utilized contained in the cavity containing a cabochon gemstone. The result’s a strikingly luminous ring stuffed with motion and delicate 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 here are rendered in a refined hammering strategy of smaller dents related to Hephaestus, the Greek legendary god of fireside. This end provides depth to the pure lustre of the gold. It’s fascinating to notice that historic vessels additionally typically 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 conflict, 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 in regards to 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 an incredible 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 model of this period identified for its opulent cabochon gems and textured gold work. Devoted to the Byzantine model, the rubies are of a deep pink tone and echo the wealthy colors utilized in mosaics. The affect of mosaics can also 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 strategies and kinds creates a harmonious complete with a timeless look.

7 Nubian gold pendant

The decorations on the facet 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 Chook

The Sq. Ring with Chook has clear Hellenistic influences in its alternative of animal motif and using nice granulation work that’s 3,000 years outdated. In distinction, the sq. form of the ring is a contemporary model of this traditional 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 look at Instagram reel. 

9 Serpent Ring

From Lalaounis’ Animal Kingdom, the serpent ring seems in many alternative kinds. The serpent is a recurring topic in jewelry that has transcended by the centuries and Lalaounis is ready to recreate its iconic varieties in numerous strategies, giving a selected 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 model 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 supply this model of labor, goldsmiths punch holes into gold to create a light-as-air lace impact. The vogue for big but mild 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.