Shimara completed a degree in Silversmithing and Jewellery in 2001, at the Glasgow School of Art, and went on to a 2 year residency at Bishopsland Workshops in South Oxfordshire. In 2004 Shimara moved to London where she set up her own business and workshop, and in 2008 she relocated to Melbourne Australia, where she now has a beautiful garden studio, allowing her to look after her young family and continue to create her jewellery and silverware.