On the 11th of October 2011 the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Paul Mashatile, announced the winners of the 4th annual Thuthuka Jewellery Design Awards with the University of Johannesburg’s Caroline Turner taking 1st place in the overall achievement award.
The Thuthuka Jewellery & Product Development skills programme is a partnership between the Department of Arts and Culture and various the jewellery design education institutions including the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the Central University of Technology and the Ekurhuleni Jewellery Project.
Thuthuka’s vision is to show the wealth of contemporary jewellery design talent in South Africa. This year, entrants were asked to design a beautiful button and integrate it into a piece of jewellery and a lifestyle item.
Students from the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Jewellery Design walked away with eight of the nineteen prizes, including overall winner. UJ’s achievements in the three categories can be summarized as follows:
- New Talent Award (1st year students) – Billy Matsoso received a merit award and Janci Bisschoff received a commended awards together with R2000 prize money.
- Innovation Award (2nd year students) – Nikiwe Mathebula was the overall winner in this category receiving R5000 and Chanel Estebeth received a merit award.
- The Achievement Award (3rd year students) – Caroline Turner won the Achievement Award and received R10 000. Merits awards went to Delphine Joustra and Michelee Evans
The judges for the awards included Liz Loubser (Jewellery Designer), Lourens Maré (CEO Jewellery Council of SA), Heidi Pretorius (Marketing Consultant Anglo Gold Ashanti), Tian Nagel (Fashion Designer), Sarah Buitendach (Editor Lifestyle Magazine, Sunday Times), Labi Kapo (Jeweller & Goldsmith), and Masana Chikeka Department of Arts and Culture).
The exhibition runs until 26 October 2011 at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery on the Kingsway Campus, Auckland Park, Johannesburg.
