The winners of the Thuthuka Jewellery Development Programme and Jewellery Awards 2014-2015 were announced at the gala opening of the 2015 Exhibition, at the University of Johannesburg FADA Gallery, last Friday.
The two overall winners were:
- Themba Mantshiyo, from the University of Johannesburg.
- Malehlohonolo Moorosi, from the Ekurhuleni Jewellery Project.
Moorosi designed sterling silver, brass and copper rings and earrings with a heel piece which becomes a single drop earring.
She is currently a Level Two student and has a strong design sensibility.
Her collection was entitled, “Fireflies and Power Lines”.
The awards were presented by Thuthuka Jewellery project director Carola Ross and handed over by Prof
Federico Freschi, dean of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA).
The Ekurhuleni Jewellery Project not only produced an overall winner in 2015, but also an additional five commended and highly commended finalists, whose work is currently on show with the 29 other finalists at the University of Johannesburg.
The Ekurhuleni Jewellery Project (EJP), supported by Rand Refinery, SEDA and the Jewellery Council of SA, is just five years old and already has a training centre for up to 20 students and an incubator centre for 12 emerging jewellers.
The number of 2014/2015 prize-winning students from Ekurhuleni Jewellery Project reflects its high standards and proves how the Thuthuka Jewellery mentoring process enhances the design and production of their competition entries.
Thuthuka Jewellery Awards 2015 has introduced a second Overall Winner category, thereby recognising excellence in students from the university jewellery programmes, as well as the community schools and FET colleges.
Ross said: “This significant shift in the way that we award the prizes is in order to recognise the innovation and excellence of all the entries, despite the challenges that may be faced by the different institutions in terms of technical support, resources or equipment.
“While some students in community or FET contexts do not have access to the same level of technical facilities, they still demonstrate the same high level of creativity, excellence and innovation.
“We believe that two categories recognise, this while acknowledging that the contexts in which the students are working differ.”
The Thuthuka Jewellery Development Programme is sponsored by the Department of Arts and Culture and supported by various jewellery design schools, industry players and community groups developing the design abilities of young talented designers entering the jewellery trade in South Africa.
Thuthuka Jewellery 2015 has welcomed two new sponsors: Browns The Diamond Store, who sponsored the overall university winner with a bursary valued at R25 000, and the community college winner with a bursary valued at R10 000.
The second new sponsor, Skye Distribution, representing Converse, gave each of the 29 category winners a pair of Converse sneakers.
During the awards evening, the finalists were surprised with additional prizes.
Browns doubled all the silver awarded to the 29 category winners and the Department of Arts and Culture gave the two runners-up a R25 000 bursary each.
These bursaries went to Zadie Becker and Mildah Motshegwa, who are both current BTech students at the University of Johannesburg.
The 2014-2015 Thuthuka Jewellery Awards challenged students to stretch themselves beyond their normal daily curriculum.
The competition focused on the fashion industry and, in particular, on accessories, in this instance shoes, aptly captured in the theme ”Sho! Shoe Jewellery!” and students had to construct multi-functional contemporary pieces inspired by a South African insect.
Entrants were judged on how they interpreted the natural shapes, textures and unique patterning of insects and translated these into multi-functional pieces that can double up as shoe trimming, beautiful jewellery or hair accessories.
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