Giorgi Shataidze

Founder and designer, Akra. Tbilisi, Georgia.

I have worked with natural stone since 2019. I make every piece from scratch: the design, the cutting of the stone, and the setting in 925 sterling silver. All of it in our workshop in Tbilisi.

I currently work with eleven stones: amethyst, aquamarine, jade, labradorite, lapis lazuli, malachite, moonstone, obsidian, pyrite, rose quartz and tourmaline.

Each one behaves differently on the wheel. Malachite sits at 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale and is brittle. Amethyst is a 7. Obsidian is glass, and it breaks in curved, sharp surfaces. The same tool asks a different speed and a different patience of each of them. That is not something you learn from a description. You learn it with your hands.

I choose the rough myself, and I know my suppliers personally.

Georgian cloisonné enamel will be added to the online shop soon. It is already in the shop in Tbilisi.

What I write about

In the Akra Journal I write about what working with stone teaches you:

• How to tell natural material from imitation
• What a stone's measured properties actually mean when you wear it every day
• How to care for natural stone and handmade silver so a piece lasts

The workshop

The workshop and the shop are the same place: 13 Abano Street, Abanotubani, Tbilisi 0105. Every stone is cut here and every piece is sold here.

Open daily, 10:00 to 21:00
+995 593 00 18 16
info@akragems.com

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