AwardsHonours & J

ewellery Design lecturer Samantha Vincent was named as one of the winners at the 23rd annual esteemed PlatAfrica jewellery design and manufacturing competition. The announcement was made during a gala awards ceremony held at The Wanderers Club in Johannesburg.The event is hosted annually by Anglo American Platinum, Metal Concentrators and Platinum Guild International (PGI) India. Designers were tasked with creating state-of-the-art pieces that embrace sustainability while speaking to new perspectives, interconnectedness, and transitions brought about by their COVID-19 experiences.

Vincent, a jewellery design and manufacture lecturer in the Department of Fine Art and Jewellery Design; was named the overall winner in the Professional category for her traditions-inspired adornment, ‘Gathered’, a neckpiece of beads and platinum. “It was a great honour to be awarded the overall winner in the Professional category for the 2022 PlatAfrica competition held by AngloAmerican, I felt quite overwhelmed but delighted,” she said. She explained that the PlatAfrica competition is held yearly, and the Jewellery Design programme always tries to include it as a project for the third years or postgraduate students to participate in it; having had multiple student winners in the past.

She professed that she thoroughly enjoys her work with the students and in the jewellery design programme.“As a jeweller my area of focus is narrative contemporary jewellery which is more creative and innovative opposed to commercial jewellery. In recent years the jewellery I have created conceptualises personal and social issues, using beading as the predominate medium,” said Vincent. She spoke of her inspiration for her design piece saying that her interpretation of the design theme ‘Hope’, centred on the idea that hope can be ‘gathered’ from the past, present and future, a vital concept that ensures meaning in one’s daily lives.

“As we look for places of hope we find connections to family, friends and ultimately the world. Connections come through communication and commonalities. I was inspired by adornment traditions of the pasts and looked for connections I could make to the future. As a result, my design focuses on the use of traditional beading, which has a rich cultural history in South Africa,” she commented.Vincent further added that each bead that has been meticulously stitched, connected and ‘gathered’ together is a perfect vehicle for interconnection, while the pattern, materials and colour scheme elevate and connect the work to the present and future.

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“The black, gold, white and sparkling metallic colour of platinum add sophistication and regal-ness to the piece. The beaded pattern showcases platinum as the dominant element using shape and repetition. The pattern used in the design makes reference to the complex connection-patterns found on a PC-motherboard.

The neckpiece was created using individual hand-made platinum beads, Japanese seed beads and a hand-woven brick-stich beading technique,” she said.Vincent indicated that it is important for lecturers and students to participate in competitions such as PlatAfrica as it is a rare opportunity to work in platinum.“The metal is sponsored by Metcon and without this support very few students or jewellers would be able to experience platinum due to its high cost. As a lecturer participation in such competitions is part of professional development,” she added.

Her prize includes travelling to India to participate in a workshop with PGI India (Platinum Group International).“My goals are to continue to participate in exhibitions and competitions as they arise.

Currently I am focused on making work for a Contemporary Jewellery exhibition in Munich. I will definitely be encouraging, students to participate in the 2023 PlatAfrica competition,” she stressed.

Professor Runette Kruger, Executive Dean: Faculty of Arts and Design, expressed her jubilation upon hearing of Vincent’s win.

“The Faculty of Arts and Design is very proud of our Jewellery Design lecturer Samantha Vincent upon being awarded overall first prize in the Professional Category of the PlatAfrica22 competition. Working with platinum is very difficult as it is a tough metal that melts at a much higher temperature than gold or silver. Samantha’s skill and talent are evident in the intricate and detailed design of her necklace. As a Dean I am very pleased that a lecturer of such calibre is able to share her skills with our students,” she said.