South Africa's most inspired designers are being honoured for their work at the very first South African Contemporary Jewellery Awards, an immense show of new work currently on exhibition at the UJ Fada Gallery in Johannesburg.
The exhibition takes a look at work by up-and-coming student and long-standing professional designers who have contributed to the growth of the emerging contemporary jewellery design sector, and who embrace the legacy of the country's long history in the mining of minerals, supplying gold, platinum and diamonds to the global jewellery manufacturing sector.
The winner of this year's award is Joani Groenewald, who is a lecturer at Stellenbosch University's Creative Jewellery and Metal Design Division, for her glass pendant necklace. Mariambibi Khan, also from Stellenbosch University, took home second place for her neckpiece.
"There are many talented jewellery artists working in the country at the moment, who often don't get the recognition they deserve, so these awards are a much needed platform to showcase their work to a broader audience," says contemporary jeweller Geraldine Fenn, who was also a finalist at the awards.
See the exhibition yourself at the Fada Gallery at UJ's Bunting Road Campus; it's on until March 30.