Simone El Rana Italian jewelry designer and artist Country: Italy

1. Biography of Simone Dell Rana
2. Passion for Tattoos
3. Ex-votos and Religious Elements
4. Expansion into Other Artistic Expressions

Biography of Simone Dell Rana

Simone Dell Rana is an Italian jewelry designer and artist known for his unique works in a distinctive "biker" style, inspired by his passion for tattoos. He was born in 1973 in Arezzo, a small town in Tuscany, where he still resides with his wife.

Passion for Tattoos

Simone's unusual jewelry style, which he is renowned for, stems from his early fascination with tattoos. At the age of seventeen, he got his first tattoo of an eagle on his shoulder by one of the first Italian tattoo masters, Maurizio Fiorini. This marked the beginning of his frequent visits to Maurizio's workshop, which, of course, cannot be compared to modern tattoo parlors. However, Simone soon realized that tattooing was not his calling, despite his desire to have a tattoo machine. Fortunately, his twenty years of experience as a jeweler allowed him to find another way to stay connected to the world of tattoo art. Fifteen years ago, he created his first precious jewelry pieces in this style, and since then, their production has continued to grow, eventually becoming the main line of his jewelry brand.

Ex-votos and Religious Elements

What truly set Simone apart in the world of tattoos are his ex-voto drawings and creations. Ex-votos are objects or drawings that believers bring to churches, offering them as a form of prayer or request to God. This tradition dates back to ancient times when the first beliefs emerged, but it is most prevalent in Christian Latin countries today. For many years, Simone traveled around the world, explaining the significance of ex-votos and sharing this tradition, particularly common in Mexico. His fascination with icons and antiques, which he developed growing up in Arezzo, a city famous for its significant antique fair in Italy, inspired the idea of creating these works.

Expansion into Other Artistic Expressions

Simone's approach to religious elements changed in 2006 when he participated in a skateboard exhibition in Paris. Following this unique experience, he began painting skateboards, snowboards, surfboards, and, more recently, musical instruments, transforming them into unique objects and works of art. He typically drills boards to use them as frames or bases, then inserts antique items into the resulting space and decorates the exterior.

Simone has a multitude of interests beyond these artistic pursuits. Consequently, he started creating compositions that are awarded as prizes to the best tattoo artists at their professional competitions. He has made prizes for tattoo conventions in Milan, Rome, Trieste, London, Long Beach, and Sacramento over the past five years. More recently, he has expanded his horizons in the field of art, participating in exhibitions at several art galleries, including "Spazio in mostra" and Antonio Colombo Contemporary Art Gallery in Milan, "MF" galleries in New York City and Genoa, and "Mondo pop" in Rome. Both sides of his art - his work as a jeweler and his artistic creations - have become even more intriguing and benefited from collaborations with close friends and talented artists. He frequently collaborates with Massimo Bennati as a jeweler and with Massimo Gurnari, Vanni Cuoghi, Laura Giardino, Danilo Pasquali, Massimo Giacon, and many others as an artist.