Lalaounis 18ct gold 'Minoan & Mycenaean' necklace, composed of a series of hammered gold fluted spherical orbs and shaped bead spacers, the front suspending a similar fringe, inner circumference 400 mm, gross weight approximately 101 grams, numbered A21, maker's mark for Ilias Lalaounis, signed Ilias Lalaounis. Literature: Ilias Lalaounis, Metamorphoses, Ilias Lalaounis, 1984, p. 52 (illustrated, another example), catalogue Essay, born in 1920 into a 4th generation Greek goldsmithing family, in 1941 Ilias LaLaounis took over the management of the family firm. In 1969 he branched out on his own. His design aesthetic and fabrication techniques are informed by classical Greek design. In 1990 he became the only jeweller ever to be inducted into the Academie des Beaux-Arts for his contribution to the Art of jewellery design.