Nino Simonia

Being a goldsmith, silversmith and metal smith was one of the main thriving artistic specialties in Nino’s home country of Georgia where she trained as a jeweller. Growing up in Georgia

inspired and shaped her into the artist that she is today. Unique collections from Georgian museums were cause for much of her admiration.The perfected intricate detail in each of the

pieces acted as the leading inspiration for an artist growing up in an environment surrounded by culture and history. The Art of cloisonné enamel was as widely spread in Medieval Georgia as it was in the Byzantine Empire. In the early 1990s, students of the State Academy of Arts in Tbilisi in Georgia started to re-discover and study the national treasures in the museum's archives. Nino was one of them, taking new steps back towards the history of forgotten art. At that time, there was only opportunity to observe the unique goldsmith and enamel collections, since there was not enough academic or instructive support in this speciality; students decided to self-teach and work with similar shapes and patterns. This was the beginning of Nino’s journey - a young person boldly trying to rediscover and attempt to recreate the perfection of the ancient pieces. Nino became a member of the First Georgian Enamellist Society and uses old Georgian techniques of cloisonné enamel. Although Nino’s main interest and passion has always been in the historic re-discovered ancient techniques, her inspiration has evolved and grown in the last 20 years. Having the privilege to travel, explore and discover new cultures, histories and countries, and spending time revelling in the breath-taking beauty of nature, she has developed and expanded as an artist who is constantly refining her craft.