THE second annual Namibian Shining Light Awards ceremony hosted by the Namibian Diamond Trading Company (NDTC) took place in Windhoek last week.
The Shining Light Jewellery Design Competition was launched three years ago, shortly after the inception of the NDTC, which is a joint venture between the Namibian Government and De Beers Marine. The company’s primary focus areas are sorting, valuing, and diamond beneficiation in Namibia.The main aim of the Shining Lights design competition and awards ceremony is to present Namibians with the opportunity to uncover their potential for jewellery design. The events also serves to nurture and develop the talent of Namibian goldsmiths and jewellery designers, as well to increase global appreciation and understanding of Namibian jewellery designs.This year’s event saw increased participation from across all of Namibia’s 13 regions, with 18-year-old Tsumeb resident Richard Lee Schoombe walking away with top honours as the overall winner. Schoombe’s winning design is an 18-carat white gold three-ball pendant set with 1,361 round brilliant cut diamonds, with a total weight of 38,64 carats.Shihaleni Ndjaba, Chief Executive Officer of NDTC, said the competition has been received enthusiastically by the Namibian public, as each year has seen an increase in the number of participants. Ndjaba remarked that the inaugural competition drew a lot of excitement and enthusiasm from participants and organisers alike, and that three years later, the passion and excitement have been growing progressively stronger each year.A total of 60 applicants participated in the event this year, a significant increase from last year, and almost double the number of participants from three years ago. Ndjaba said he hoped the positive trend seen in the number of participants continues in coming years. The NDTC CEO added that increased awareness and wider representation from the Namibian population in all aspects and sections of the diamond industry are regarded as vital by the NDTC.The Namibian Shining Light Jewellery Design competition is part of the Diamond Trading Company Shining Light Diamond Design Competition and the Southern Africa Shining Light Awards. The overall competition sees designers from Namibia, Botswana and South Africa showcase their designs. The competition’s vision is to ‘show the world the wealth of design talent that exists in Southern Africa by creating a design platform, through which the creative artistry can be showcased using nature’s most remarkable and finest creation: the diamond.’
