Adam's FINE JEWELLERY & WATCHES 16 May 2023

Zolotas is a House which brings together modern fine jewellery and the ancient Greek history of metalworking and embellishment. The business was founded in 1895 in Athens, in front of the Acropolis, by Efthi- mios Zolotas following a jewellery apprenticeship in Paris. Zolotas was instantly successful, with the store on Aiolou Street becoming a Salon for the Athe- nian elite. Wishing to share the knowledge from his Parisian training, and needing an atelier filled with skilled craftsmen to keep up with demand, Zo- lotas began an apprentice-school on site at his atelier. This focus on education allowed him to create a reputation of exciting, new design at the forefront of style and experi- mentation. Xenofon, Zolotas’ son, was an academic prodigy and by 24 years old was Professor in Financial Law at Thessaloniki University (and would even go on to brief ly be Prime Minister of Greece from 1989-1990). Despite his erudite nature and busy schedule, Xenofon remained involved in his father’s business and shared the families love of fine jewellery and Greek history. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Xenofon, along with his wife Kallirhoe - an admired social- ite in New York Greek society - used his academic connections to forge exclusive cooperation with the archaeological museums of Greece. These connections allowed the House to create beautiful pieces of jewellery inspired by an- cient treasures such as the Lions of Mycenae and the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna. Zolotas’ goal in the 1960s was to transform modern women into living goddesses, a goal they achieved with empowered women such as Maria Callas, Jackie Onassis, and Romy Schneider wearing jewellery by the brand. In the 1970’s the House established itself in Paris and took on an identity of being not only a jewellery business but a locus of fine art creation. Sculptors and painters were invited to work with the House, leading to stunning pieces such as the Greek sculptor Taki’s pieces with pearls that move and change position according to body temperature, and the sculptor Claude Lalanne’s laurel leaf necklaces. Perhaps the most admired collaboration in the 1970s was that with Paloma Picasso, the daughter of Pablo Picasso, and trailblazing artist in her own right. The young artist was supported and en- couraged by the House, staying true to their values of education and experimentation, and created successful pieces of bracelets and necklaces in the shape of daisies and phases of the moon. The past twenty years has seen Zolotas refine even further their marriage of the new and the global with local ancient, specifically Hellenic and Cycladic, inf luences. Georges Papalexis is now artistic director of Zolotas and is pursuing the mission of interpreting dia- monds in a uniquely Greek manner. 93 A GOLD PENDANT NECKLACE WITH MATCHING EARRINGS, BY ZOLOTAS Designed as a graduated series of stylised leaves with beading detailing, in 18K gold, signed Zolotas, maker’s mark, with matching earrings, necklace length 47cm, earring length 2.5cm € 5,000 - 6,000