Gold jewellery created by the 24 finalists in India’s prestigious Swarnanjali Gold Jewellery Design Competition will be on display at Narandas Jewellers at Musgrave Centre on August 31 and September 1. The word “Swarnanjali” means “an offering of gold” in the Hindi language and these awards are regarded as the “Oscars” in gold jewellery design in India. This year’s competition, which was sponsored by South Africa’s AngloGold, attracted a staggering 9,200 entries from designers, craftsmen and students.

The 1999 competition had two categories: casual and bridal. After preliminary judging, ten designs from each category were selected for fabrication in 22 carat gold for the four regional finals. Six designs from each region were then nominated for the all-India finals in Delhi and these are the works that will be on show in Durban. The collection features a dazzling array of neckpieces, bracelets, hair ornaments, earrings, anklets, brooches, pendants, bangles, necklaces and armpieces.

The Swarnanjali competition was established three years ago by the World Gold Council (WGC) to encourage fresh talent in gold jewellery design and entries are judged according to aesthetic value, practicality and originality. Details from Shelagh Blackman on (011) 637-6379 (w) or 083 308-2471.