Each year, Greek jewelry designer Ilias LaLaounis introduces a good luck charm for the year ahead, often featuring classical Greek images associated with fortune and prosperity. This 18k gold medallion has the image of a cornucopia overflowing with ripe strawberries, pears, flowers, grapes, and wheat. The design wraps around to connect the two ends of the cornucopia as a circle, with a 19 in the center, most likely indicating that this medallion was the good luck charm for a year in the 20th century. The cornucopia is symbolic of abundance and can be traced back to the Greek myth of Zeus and the goat Amalthea. In the story, baby Zeus breaks off the horn of the goat, which then filled with food to provide infinite nourishment. The medallion is housed in a silver bezel and hangs from a bail adorned with scrolling foliate.
Ilias Lalaounis is a Greek designer, and the third generation in a family of goldsmiths. A lover of history, his designs often reference ancient pieces and are a sophisticated take on Greek Revival.
The pendant measures 1” across, with an additional 8 x 6.7 mm bail. It weighs 5.89 grams. It is marked on the bail with the LaLaounis hallmark, A21, Greece, 925, and the mark for silver.
