The new Apollo earrings by Lalaounis

20^th July 1969, the unforgettable day in which three American astronauts landed on the moon in Apollo 11. Aristotele Onassis and Jackie O. were to celebrate their first wedding anniversary shortly after. And it may also have been for this reason that the Greek shipping magnate decided to mark the event with a just as memorable gift for his bride: a jewel commissioned to fellow countryman Ilias Lalaounis, one of Greece’s leading jewelry designers both then and now. And so gold and ruby Apollo drop earrings were created, inspired by lunar walks and celestial orbits.

At about 50 years since the initial creation, Ilias’ daughters, now at the helm of the Lalaounis company, are proposing a new release of the famous Jackie O. earrings. Today as yesterday, the top of the earrings, that also acts as buttoning, was inspired by the idea of an orbit. The spherical, entirely hand-hammered pendant boules emulated the moonscape, littered with craters with tiny rubies. In the new release, they are replaced by small sparkling diamonds but leave all the other ‘astronomical’ elements intact. The four identical motifs between the clip and the hanging globe are reminiscent of the command module of a spaceship.