News from our businesses and markets
The De Beers Group of Companies today launched the 2016 Shining Light Awards.
This year’s theme, ‘Protecting Nature’s Beauty’, is a poignant reminder of the need to take care of the world’s finite natural resources, including diamonds. Nature conservation and the protection of endangered species is at the heart of the design brief for the awards, reflecting Forevermark and De Beers' care for the protection of wildlife and its natural habitat.
Open to all aspiring jewellery design students across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, finalists will receive valuable business development skills in the areas of jewellery design, manufacturing, sales and marketing.
Paul Rowley, Executive Vice President, De Beers Global Sightholder Sales, said: “We are privileged to play an important part in turning the dreams of students from our producer countries into a lasting reality, especially in this instance where we are empowering them to add value to a natural resource.”
Brent Eiseb, Senior Manager, Sales and Marketing, Namibia Diamond Trading Company, said: “As host country, Namibia has been involved in the Shining Light Awards since 2008 and is looking forward to hosting the awards in 2017.
“The awards are also perfectly positioned to support the Prosperity Plan’s pillars on improving vocational training, as well as youth development and skills development, as recently announced by the Namibian Government.”
Pat Dambe, Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Government Relations, De Beers Global Sightholder Sales, said: “The awards have grown and developed significantly over the past 20 years, with previous winners having had the opportunity to spend time in Milan at one of De Beers’ design centres and work with the finest trade artisans in the world.”
Constantino Papadimitriou, Head of Brand Strategy and Innovation, Forevermark, said: “We are so proud to contribute to the development of local talent and design skills in diamond producing countries. The Shining Light Awards really challenge students to translate a brief, form an idea, and transform it into a jewellery collection, with a Forevermark diamond at its heart.”
In past years, the competition has been widely regarded as a gateway for young designers to gain access to the global diamond jewellery market. Last year’s brief moved young designers away from the more elaborate diamond pieces created in the past to creating commercially-viable pieces.
Stephen Lussier, Executive Vice President, Marketing, De Beers Group; and CEO, Forevermark, said: “Forevermark is proud to support the Shining Light Awards, nurturing talent and developing the creativity of the new generation growing up in the countries from where our most beautiful diamonds come from.”
For more information see www.shininglightsawards.com.
Contact
Angela Webb,
Social Investment and Sustainability Manager,
De Beers Global Sightholder Sales
[email protected]
Nicole Senuku,
Corporate Affairs Specialist,
De Beers Global Sightholder Sales
Tel +267 371 6417
[email protected]
Helena Mootseng,
Public Relations and Communications Manager,
Namibia Diamond Trading Company
[email protected]
About The De Beers Group of Companies
De Beers is a member of the Anglo American group. Established in 1888, De Beers is the world’s leading diamond company with unrivalled expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers employs more than 20,000 people (directly and as contractors) 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 are committed to Living up to Diamonds 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 visit www.debeersgroup.com.