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De Beers Group is pleased to announce the winners of the 2016/17 Shining Light Awards: The De Beers Young Jewellery Designers Skills Development Initiative, which were revealed at a red carpet event in Windhoek, Namibia, last night.
The awards, which recognise and celebrate emerging jewellery designers in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, provide entrants with a valuable platform to build their careers in the jewellery design industry.
Entrants were required to design commercially-viable jewellery collections that demonstrated an artistic interpretation of this year’s theme, ‘Protecting Nature’s Beauty’. The theme was chosen by Forevermark, the diamond brand from De Beers Group, in recognition of the company’s commitment to biodiversity, conservation and sustainability.
Finalists from Botswana, Namibia and South Africa were selected from more than 130 entries for their outstanding jewellery designs and unique interpretation of the theme. Following the final judging, the winners from each country are (in no particular order):
First place
- Mbako Baraedi (Botswana)
- Richardlee Shoombe (Namibia)
- Andile Mbeje (South Africa)
First runners-up
- Tshepo Dithebele ( Botswana)
- Frans Uunona ( Namibia)
- Omphile Sibanda ( South Africa)
Second runners-up
- Gaone Caroline Otsile (Botswana)
- Taleni Udeiko ( Namibia)
- Gabrielle Lourens ( South Africa)
First place winners will receive a 12-month apprenticeship at the Forevermark Design and Innovation Centre in Milan, Italy, where they will have the opportunity to work alongside jewellery designers at one of the world’s fastest growing diamond brands.
The first runners-up will receive a three-month internship at the same Forevermark Design and Innovation Centre, while the second runners-up will be enrolled in a jewellery design skills development programme at a local university.
Pat Dambe, Vice-President, Corporate Affairs and Government Relations, De Beers Global Sightholder Sales, said: “We are delighted to announce the winners of this year’s Shining Light Awards, which provide a fantastic platform for emerging jewellery designers in southern Africa to showcase their skills, and which play an important role in nurturing design talent in diamond producing countries. Each winner will now have the opportunity to further advance their skills through industry exposure and training, and we can’t wait to see where the future takes them.”
Stephen Lussier, Executive Vice-President, Marketing, De Beers Group and CEO, Forevermark, said: “Through the Shining Light Awards, Forevermark is pleased to support the careers and learning experiences of emerging jewellery designers from southern Africa, and provide them with the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the global jewellery design industry by working alongside designers at one of the world’s fastest growing diamond brands.”
For more information, visit www.shininglightsawards.com.
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Notes to Editors
Images of the winning collections can be downloaded here.
An overview of each first place winner, and a summary of their winning collection, is as follows:
Mbako Baraedi (Botswana)
Mbako Baraedi is a jewellery designer and manufacturer from Oodi College of Applied Arts and Technology in Botswana, who loves reading and doing research. He believes in the value of planning and being able to multitask. His collection, ‘Li-Phant’, was inspired by a lion’s paw print – symbolising power – and an elephant trunk, which curled around a diamond represents the bond between wildlife and diamonds, both of which are natural resources requiring careful management.
Richardlee Shoombe (Namibia)
Richardlee Shoombe enrolled at the age of 12 at the Arts Performance Centre in the mining town Tsumeb, Namibia. He sees himself as a visual arts educator and loves learning. Richardlee’s collection, ‘It Begins with Us’, drew inspiration from the idea that human emotions can be a driving force for artistic expression and positive change, especially towards protecting nature.
Andile Mbeje (South Africa)
Andile Mbeje is from Durban, South Africa, and studies at Tshwane University of Technology. He dreams of working as a jewellery designer for an international company and is keen to hone his skills in commercial jewellery design. Andile’s collection, ‘Crowning Glory’, is inspired by South Africa’s Kudu, with its curled horns a highlight of its natural beauty.
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About Forevermark
Every Forevermark diamond undergoes a journey of rigorous selection. Our unique inscription is an assurance that every Forevermark diamond meets the exceptional standards of beauty, rarity and is responsibly sourced.
Forevermark diamonds beyond the 4Cs
Forevermark goes beyond the standard 4Cs to select diamonds that are genuine, natural and untreated. Forevermark diamonds are cut and polished by master craftsmen to reveal their ultimate beauty and natural brilliance.
Forevermark diamonds are rare
Less than one per cent of the world’s diamonds are worthy of the Forevermark inscription.
Forevermark diamonds are responsibly sourced
Each Forevermark diamond is responsibly sourced and embodies our principles of integrity, striving to create opportunities for women and our dedication to protection of the natural world. The inscription is an assurance of the physical integrity of our diamonds throughout their journey, as well as the conscientious integrity with which we run our business.
Forevermark inscription & grading
Each Forevermark diamond is inscribed with an icon and individual number as an assurance that it has met Forevermark’s standards of beauty and rarity and that it is responsibly sourced. The Forevermark inscription is placed on the table facet of a Forevermark diamond. Invisible to the naked eye, the inscription is 1/5000th of a human hair and can only be seen using a special Forevermark viewer available at Authorised Forevermark Jewellers. Authorised Forevermark Jewellers are able to supply a Forevermark Diamond Grading Report to their customers providing an accurate blueprint of the qualities - cut, colour, clarity and caratage - of each Forevermark diamond. Forevermark is the diamond brand from The De Beers Group of Companies and benefits from over 125 years of diamond expertise. Forevermark diamonds are carefully selected and come from sources committed to high standards; they are beautifully crafted by a select group of Diamantaires and exclusively available from select Authorised Forevermark Jewellers. For more information and to find your nearest Authorised Forevermark Jeweller go to www.forevermark.com.
About De Beers Group
De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. As part of the company’s operating philosophy, the people of De Beers Group are committed to ‘Building Forever’ by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about De Beers Group, visit www.debeersgroup.com.