Since 1939, the jewelry house Zarapkhana has served the mission of presenting Georgia’s historical and cultural heritage and preserving the goldsmithing traditions that come from the centuries-old past. For this very purpose, the company introduced another outstanding collection – Samosi, the presentation of which was held on November 26 in the Art Palace of Georgia.
Samosi, created in collaboration with the Art Palace of Georgia, combines jewelry made according to the details of the cloth worn by Georgian kings, queens, and other nobles. The executive director of Zarapkhana – Tornike Samkharadze, the head of the creative department – Tea Tetradze, and the head of the operational department – Marika Mirzashvili, spoke to Forbes Woman Georgia about the details of the collection.
How did the idea of creating the Samosi collection emerge?
Tornike Samkharadze: The idea of creating the Samosi collection emerged due to close cooperation with the Art Palace. Zarapkhana’s creative team members were given access to many interesting sources and historical artifacts describing the specific details and features of the clothing of our great kings and princes. After studying the above sources, our team decided to create a collection that would be different from all previous collections and would be presented to the loyal customers and community of Zarapkhana.
The collection presentation has already taken place – did the expectations and feedback live up to expectations?
Yes, on Saturday, November 26, we had a presentation of the collection at the Art Palace, and I want to tell you that our expectations were fully met. The guests who came to the event could not hide their admiration for the aesthetics of the Zarapkhana collection and the jewelry craftsmanship with which it is always distinguished.
Is this a one-time project, or is it planned to release a collection of old Georgian themes?
As you know, Zarapkhana always strives to develop and create future designs. However, we do not forget our roots. It is one of our missions to popularize Georgian culture and present its distinguished parts. Therefore we will offer public collections and individual products inspired by historical characters and artifacts. We will pleasantly surprise Georgian society and our loyal customers from all over the world many more times.
Why did you decide to base the collection on the details of the clothes of Georgian kings and queens?
Tea Tetradze: The idea of creating a new collection, Samosi appeared two years ago in the art museum, where the clothes of nobles and kings were exhibited. This historical garment inspired me to translate this style and design into jewelry.
Zaraphkhana has been creating collections based on Georgian national motifs for many years. Was this a motif in the case of the Samosi collection as well?
We have several collections designed to immortalize Georgian culture. Based on the mission of Zarapkhana, my team members, designers Mamuka Butulashvili, Anna Tsotsonava, and I, create collections from historical heritage combined with modernity in their style and design. That is why, in the case of the Samosi collection, we took inspiration from the magnificent clothes of the Georgian kings and queens so that the modern woman could feel the Georgian greatness in her everyday life.
The collection Samosi uses ornaments, symbols, and colors taken from the clothes of Davit Agmashenebeli, King Tamar, and other kings. The natural stones used in the jewelry were selected precisely based on the colors. Each item is original, as Zarapkhana artist-designers create it.
Tell us about the design process.
After the company decided to create a new collection, the creative department began to prepare sketches, according to which the design of the jewelry, the colors of natural stones and their sizes, as well as the weight of the jewelry, were determined.
The design of each piece of jewelry was approved by the company’s artistic council, after which the three-dimensional modeling process of the selected piece of jewelry began.
What material is used in the samples included in the Samosi collection?
Marika Mirzashvili: 585 fine gold has been used in this beautiful collection. The samples are decorated with natural stones of different shapes (amethyst, agate, coral, topaz, pearl) and enamel of different colors.
Tell us about the Zarapkhana enterprise. How many people are employed?
Currently, the enterprise employs 35 people who have excellent jewelry experience and love for the work. We also hired a group of young people in the Zarapkhana enterprise. They turned out to be quite purposeful and took this work seriously. They have already made a significant contribution to the success of Zarapkhana.
What is essential in the jewelry production process?
Human resource is essential in production processes and precisely determines the quality with which “Zarakhana” is presented. It takes much effort to achieve this quality. Recently, we updated the equipment and purchased the latest model laser machines.
It should be noted that each piece of jewelry is unique because they are hand made. The jewelry created in the Zarapkhana jewelry house presents museum-level exhibits made with centuries-old goldsmithing traditions and a high level of jewelry art.
How do you rate the quality of precious and natural stones?
Expertise and quality control service is involved in the production process, which evaluates the quality of each sample at different stages. After their confirmation, the pieces are sent to the next production stage. In addition to the vital laboratory report on the precious metal sample that accompanies each casting, every product is individually verified – this is one of the insurance mechanisms. After the purchase of stones and after each operation, the examination service checks and confirms the quality of natural and precious stones, which guarantees that the passport data of any Zarapkhana product is valid and infallible.