4 minute read
Peter Hiskia’s jewellery journey
People have different tastes. Some are into fancy clothes, others like good wine. Some might be passionate about fine dining while others have a penchant for sophisticated jewellery. Well, Hiskia would appreciate the latter.
Jeweller Peter Hiskia is no ordinary man. In his trade he is the only one in and around Ondangwa town. This makes him a sort of an icon, but he feels he is far from being that. “I am just an artist like any other creative, using my mind, hands and eyes. However, my creations are totally different from what other artists do here and in other places in the region”, Hiskia says.
His career started at a prestigious Swakopmund jewellery shop in 2009, where he trained for three years. His superiors were impressed by his performance and creativity and after completing his training he was offered a position.
Two years later Hiskia branched out on his own and took on several jobs to save money for starting his own company. Going solo, the future looked bright but it was not without twists and turns. With hard work, God by his side and a little bit of luck, Hiskia’s Ondangwa Jewellery was born about a decade ago.
Hiskia makes different pieces of jewellery – rings, bracelets, necklaces and pendants. He uses different materials and everything is hand-crafted, of course. He also does repairs and gemstone replacements. His workshop is at his home in Ondangwa.
Hiskia has no lack of clients. They are from Ondangwa, neighbouring towns and regions and even from elsewhere in the country. Many of them are preparing to tie the knot and want something unique. Others are fashionistas who simply want custom-made pieces. Some of the country’s wellknown personalities are wearing his ornaments.
Outside the urban centres of Namibia the art of making fine jewellery is still unknown to many. “This is a small industry in Namibia”, Hiskia says. “In total, we are just about 100 jewellers.”
Hiskia feels that most jewellers are struggling due to a lack of recognition by the relevant authorities and lack of support by the government.
I am just an artist like any other creative, using my mind, hands and eyes. However, my creations are totally different from what other artists do here...
Like many other creatives, Hiskia enjoys working at night. That is when he can create masterpieces, he says. ”During the day there is a lot of noise and there are many distractions. You can hardly concentrate, especially when you are working on a tight deadline.”
He recalls a classic example when he was working on two gold rings for a couple who was to get married on a Saturday at Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region. He only had a day to finish the rings and courier them to Katima Mulilo. Hiskia describes his job as a little challenging at times but rewarding in the long run. “It has happened that clients were waiting in their vehicle while I was sweating it out in the workshop. Some unapologetic clients will give you just a few hours to finish their item while they go shopping. Imagine how stressful that can be!”
Although in general it appears as if it is all smooth sailing, there are still headwinds hampering the operations of many jewellers, Hiskia says. “Firstly, some people do not want to take us seriously. Government does not even give us grants. And consumers don’t seem to recognise the value of jewellery items. Sometimes they want to pay even 50% less for his items than what they would pay at other jewellery outlets.
Hiskia wants the government to recognise jewellers and start offering them financial assistance so that they can grow their businesses. With youth unemployment at a staggering 35% – according to latest figures from the Namibia Statistics Agency – he would like to create employment for compatriots, but he can only do so with sufficient support.
“If I had support I could have more activities going on here. I would be having more employees including those that I would train myself”, Hiskia says. He adds that perfect jewellery work requires specialised and often expensive equipment that in most cases can only be acquired with outside funding.
