Durban jeweller shines at PlatAfrica awards

DURBAN jewellery designer Nihal Shah has clinched one of the top places in this year's prestigious PlatAfrica Awards.

Shah used platinum and blue acrylic to design a unisex, multipurpose ring and pendant called Stratos, and came second in the Professionals category of the competition, which had 500 entrants across various categories.

“The PlatAfrica competition, in my opinion, is the biggest, most glitzy. It's the one award you want, you want to be affiliated to this competition as a designer, as a jeweller,” he said.

Ecstatic about the result, Shah told the Independent on Saturday that the competition was extremely tough.

“Every single person that was a finalist there, you could see why they were finalists. There were some stunning pieces and it was one of those years where every single piece had some sort of wow factor to it. So it was a very tough competition and I’m very lucky to have placed.”

The finalists had an opportunity to see the creations they were up against at the final event, and Shah said the pictures did not convey the beauty and ingenuity of the designs.

“The pictures don't do justice to it. It's only until you go there that you see that's quite clever, quite innovative.”

Shah, a partner in the boutique jewellery studio Vijay Shah Concepts in Durban North, said he drew his inspiration from “the ethereal realm of the virtual Star. A theme that instantly transported me into a world where futurism and fantasy collide.”

He said the result was a creation that defies gravity while staying grounded in functionality and runway glamour.

“I sought to craft a piece that transcends the ordinary, something that whispers of galaxies far beyond our own, yet still holds fast to the elegance and drama of haute couture.”

PlatAfrica’s website lists Shah’s piece as a unisex ring that can be worn in multiple ways, with a platinum weight of 37.72 grams. Shah says it can be worn as a ring on one or two fingers, or as a pendant around the neck. One of those will set you back R68,151.

PlatAfrica is South Africa's premier platinum jewellery design and manufacturing competition. Established in 1999, it introduces a new theme each year, with participants required to produce one-of-a-kind statement pieces.

This is the second time Shah has finished in the top two, having also placed fourth in a previous year.

He started competing after growing up attending the competitions with his father. The Shahs’ jewellery design and manufacturing legacy stems from Shah’s grandfather, who founded the business. However, he never took part in competitions, leaving Shah’s father, Vijay, to be the first to enter.

“Funnily enough, my grandfather never really entered these competitions. He was so focused on business itself that the competitions never interested him. My dad was the one that took the time and the energy to enter it on his own accord. He used his own savings to enter the competition, to make the piece and he fared in it. And I think that's where the bug bit.”

While the award comes with a cash prize, Shah says the best part is what happens afterwards.

“The thing that we look forward to is our pieces get to travel the world and we also get the opportunity to travel to a few shows with them. So if I'm not mistaken this year, it might be India and Hong Kong that we'd be invited to travel and showcase our pieces. Previously our pieces went to Vicenza(Italy), it's gone to Hong Kong, it went to the UK. It's been to quite a few different venues and events.

“And the brilliant thing is your name is recognised now globally, right? So for me, I think, apart from the cash prize, that's the biggest sort of prize — to be recognised on the world stage as a South African designer.”