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Monday 09:00 - 16:00 Tuesday 09:00 - 16:00 Wednesday 09:00 - 16:00 Thursday 09:00 - 16:00 Friday 09:00 - 16:00

Jewellery Division Stellenbosch University

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Jewellery Division Stellenbosch University

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The Jewellery Division of the Visual Arts Department of Stellenbosch University is the oldest jewellery school in South Africa.

We offer a BA in Visual Arts (Creative Jewellery Design and Metal Techniques) as well as an MA in Visual Arts.

27/10/2026

LASTLY…

A THANK YOU TO OUR JUDGES & SPONSORS ✨

The Jewellery Design Division at Stellenbosch University would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the judges and sponsors who supported our student competition exhibition.

To our judges, thank you for generously sharing your time, expertise and insight, and for engaging with our students’ work. Your thoughtful consideration and professional perspectives contribute meaningfully to our students’ development as emerging jewellery designers.

To our sponsors, thank you for your generosity and for investing in our students and their creative journeys. Your support helps create valuable opportunities for our students to showcase their work, celebrate their achievements and gain recognition for their dedication to contemporary jewellery practice.

Competitions such as these provide an important platform for emerging designers to develop their confidence, challenge their creative thinking and connect with the broader design community.

We are grateful to everyone who contributed to making this exhibition and competition possible. Thank you for helping us celebrate the talent, creativity and craftsmanship of our students!

From all of us in the Jewellery Design Division, thank you for your continued support. 🤍

27/10/2026

STUDENT COMPETITION | JD IV 🏆

In their fourth year, our Jewellery Design students bring together a range of jewellery-making techniques, incorporating alternative materials to expand the possibilities of contemporary jewellery practice. Through material experimentation and conceptual development, they investigate how jewellery can communicate complex ideas about identity, culture, time and the world around us.

Congratulations to our fourth-year competition winners!

🥇 First Place:
Peter-Ivan Mitrovich
Perpetuity, Neckpiece, 2026
Bronze, rocks

Peter-Ivan explores deep time: Earth’s 4.6-billion-year history and humanity’s relationship with it. By reimagining familiar timekeeping devices as objects of contemplation rather than measurement, his work invites reflection on humanity’s place within the vastness of geological time and our impact on the natural world.

Peter-Ivan Mitrovich
Wandering I, Brooch, 2026
Wild olive wood, labradorite, serpentine, aventurine quartz, silver, steel

Peter-Ivan Mitrovich
Wandering II, Earrings, 2026
Amaranth wood, lepidolite, marble, 9ct gold, silver

🥈 Second Place:
Murendeni Ravele
Nwenda, Pendant, 2026
Copper, brass, enamel, olive wood, leather cord

Murendeni investigates the relationship between Venda cultural identity, tradition and modernity. By combining traditional materials and craft references with contemporary materials, his neckpieces explore how cultural traditions can be preserved, reinterpreted and carried forward. Rather than presenting tradition and modernity as opposing forces, the works reveal how these influences can coexist and shape evolving identities.

Murendeni Ravele
Malende, Pendant, 2026
Black Perspex, olive wood, brass, leather cord

Congratulations to Peter-Ivan and Murendeni on their achievements, and to our fourth-year students for pushing the boundaries of contemporary jewellery through material, concept and experimentation.

27/10/2026

STUDENT EXHIBITION | JD III 🏆

In their third year, our Jewellery Design students work with lost-wax casting, a process in which a form is sculpted by filing and carving wax before being cast in metal. This technique allows students to develop intricate forms while exploring the relationship between sculptural modelling, material transformation and the final object.

Congratulations to our third-year competition winners!

🥇 First Place:
Miané Koch
Our Modern Mythologies, Rings, 2026
Sterling silver, fashion brass

Miané explores storytelling as a fundamental part of human connection, drawing inspiration from toys passed down through generations in her family. Through a series of rings, she creates miniature dreamscapes that evoke childhood memories, relationships and a sense of home, inviting the wearer and viewer to reconnect with the stories that shape us.

🥈 Second Place: Swan Robertson
The return to design, Rings, 2026
Sterling silver, fashion brass

Swan questions the increasing emphasis on mass production, convenience and disposability in contemporary life. The work advocates for a renewed appreciation of thoughtful design, craftsmanship and durability, challenging the idea that beauty and well-made objects should be reserved for the wealthy.

Congratulations to Miané and Swan on their achievements, and to our third-year students for their critical engagement with design, craftsmanship and contemporary life.

27/10/2026

STUDENT EXHIBITION | JD II 🏆

In their second year, our Jewellery Design students experiment with fold forming, a metalworking technique that uses folding, shaping and manipulation to create dynamic surfaces and sculptural forms. Through this process, students explore how metal can be transformed through repetition, movement and structural change.

Congratulations to our second-year competition winners!

🥇 First Place:
Layla Saadien-Raad
A Letter to Tony, Necklace, 2026
Sterling silver and fine silver

Inspired by a brush-cherry tree in her childhood garden, Layla reflects on memories of her grandfather and the fear of losing someone dear. The repeated forms of the tree’s berries become a visual language for memory, affection and contemplation, drawing on the quiet moments in which personal reflections take shape.

🥈 Second Place:
Jamie Zunkel
Thread of Stars, Earrings, 2025
Sterling and fine silver alloy

Through a constellation of folded metal stars, Jamie explores how significant life experiences shape our identities. Each star represents an event along a non-linear life journey, with the folding process itself echoing the way experiences transform and strengthen us over time.

Congratulations to Layla and Jamie on their achievements, and to our second-year students for their exploration of metal, movement and meaning.

27/10/2026

STUDENT EXHIBITION | JD I 🏆

Our first-year Jewellery Design students explore the possibilities of cuttlefish casting, a technique that introduces them to the creation of organic textures and forms in metal. By casting into the naturally textured surface of a cuttlefish bone, students begin to discover the relationship between material, process and design.

Congratulations to our first-year competition winners!

🥇 First Place:
Therese Vera Hamer
The most precious, Necklace, 2026
Sterling silver, nylon cord

Inspired by a crocheted doll received as a gift of affection, Therese reflects on the gift of life and the care, protection and sacrifice associated with its creation. The pendant’s cast silver form evokes the womb, while the brass plate references the pelvis, presenting the body as a place of nurture and protection.

🥈 Second Place:
Jamie Jankelow
Capturing fleeting memories, Necklace, 2026
Sterling silver, cotton cord

Exploring the tension between fleeting experiences and lasting memories, Jamie draws inspiration from childhood walks along the coast with family. Referencing the camera’s ability to preserve a moment, the work reflects on the deeply personal ways we hold onto meaningful experiences.

Congratulations to Therese and Jamie on their achievements, and to our first-year students for their thoughtful exploration of material and form.

19/10/2026

As the year starts to draw to a close we are reflecting on recent memorable moments.

Our student exhibition “Reflections in Form” took place earlier in September at GUS Gallery located in Stellenbosch.

While bringing together creativity, craftsmanship and the diverse perspectives of our jewellery design students, the exhibition also celebrates their hard work, individuality and the unique ideas and dedication behind each piece.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended and supported the exhibition, and especially to our sponsors for their generous contributions and continued support of our students and their work.

We are grateful to everyone who helped make this event possible and proud to share a glimpse of the moments that made it so special.

Lookout for the coming posts featuring some of the work exhibited and our winners of the student competition.

Sponsors:
Jewel Tec
BJ Oberholzer CC
Cape Precious Metals
Ajanta Afrika
Cathy Taylor

13/10/2026

Our fourth-year students are hard at work developing and refining their bodies of work as they prepare for their final graduation exhibition. ✨

With ideas taking shape and concepts evolving into finished pieces, this is an exciting stage in their creative journey as they bring their individual visions to life through jewellery and metal design.

We look forward to seeing their hard work, creativity and dedication come together in their final exhibitions!

04/10/2026

As part of “Art Jewellery in Conversation with Still Life”, join us for a special VAP Talk & Jewellery Presentation exploring the ideas and works behind the exhibition.

Staff from the Creative Jewellery & Metal Design Division and alumnus Eric Loubser will present:

“Art Jewellery in Conversation with Still Life”

📅 Wednesday, 7 October
🕐 13:00–14:00
📍 Stellenbosch Town Hall / Stadsaal

The presentation is free to attend.

We look forward to seeing you there! ✨

30/09/2026

As part of our exhibition, Art Jewellery in Conversation with Still Life, there will also be an ONLINE AUCTION featuring selected works by participating artists and alumni.

The exhibition will be on show at the Oude Leeskamer in Stellenbosch from 3–11 October, as part of Woordfees.

The exhibition catalogue will also form part of the online auction, offering an opportunity to explore and collect works from the exhibition.

🔨 Online Auction closes: 14 October at 14:00

See the link and invitation below (in the comments) for more information and to participate.

Address

Stellenbosch

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 16:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 16:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 16:00
Thursday	09:00 - 16:00
Friday	09:00 - 16:00

Telephone

+27218083052

Website

http://klimt02.net/schools/stellenbosch-university-2013

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