Twelve young jewellery designers – three each from Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa – won awards during this year’s Shining Light Awards, which is hosted by diamond miner De Beers and honours the next generation of jewellery designers.
“Through the programme, we are able to help the winners polish their talent and gain world-class skills to get a foothold in the jewellery design industry,” says De Beers managed operations MD Mpumi Zikalala.
The 12 finalists were chosen from a record 123 entries. Each entrant had to design a full jewellery collection, including a ring, necklace, earrings, as well as bangles and bracelets.
Originally launched in 1995, the Shining Light Awards has grown to include submissions from new graduates of jewellery design programmes in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa.
The awards are a tangible representation of De Beers’ youth development strategy, designed to create an environment for growth, skills transfer, entrepreneurship, global experiences and mentorship in the jewellery design sector. To be eligible, applicants must be 18 to 25 years old.
The first place winners from each country receive a 12-month postgraduate scholarship at Poli.Design – Polytechnic di Milano, in Milan, Italy. The winners are Laone Kaelo Rahele, from Botswana; Valerie Lamiel, from Canada; Juliana Bonita Fredericks, from Namibia; and Tebogo Shaun Ledwaba, from South Africa.-mw
