Sifiso and Howard proud of their masterpiece

From nuts and bolts to fine jewellery designer

From nuts and bolts to Fine Jewellery Designer
This is the story about Sifiso Magangane that grew up living in a shack in a township, penniless, with no parents and only had a dream to become a jewellery designer to take note of.

- Sifiso Basil Magangane
- Born 6 November 1984
- Sifiso grew up with his grandparents in Mpumalanga
- At the age of 8 he started making rings out of paper
- At the age of 10 he bought himself a brass pipe and started carving rings
- At the age of 11 he sold these rings for R5 each to make money to go watch and play football.
- He bought himself 6 pairs of files in 2001.
- At the age of 18 he moved to Vosloorus township in Johannesburg where he finished high school passing grade 11 at Thuto Lesedi High School in 2004.
- He used nuts and bolts and carved the most amazing rings from them
- His Sister (Sandile Magangane) was working at Truworths in Eastgate Shopping Mall and told him about Jack Friedman, well known manufacturing jewelers in the center.
- Penniless, but determined to live his dream, he came and met Howard, MD and grandson of Jack Friedman.
- Howard saw his potential and sent him to the Intsika Beneficiary Project School to study jewellery design and become the man he wants to be. Jack Friedman Jewellers supports the above institution.
- He graduated from Intsika in October 2008 and is awaiting his diploma.
- He was given the task to make a metro sexual range of gents rings and came up with 9 designs so far.
- Jack Friedman Jewellers is paying him for his labour and the first rings were made out of silver that the company supplied to him.
- Gerhard Leuchtenberger, one of Jack Friedman’s head designers, guided Sifiso with his designs to make his final product commercially acceptable for his target market.
- Jack Friedman has manufactured these amazing designs in 18ct yellow and white gold as well as platinum.
- When you as him “Why jewellery?” He says that he “was born with this passion” and that he is “focusing on what excites him”.
- What is his biggest dream? “To become a jewellery manufacturer that makes unique designs and have a studio of his own one day”

The Mandla Collection showcased in 9ct yellow gold

With no money to buy decent paper or pencils to sketch with, Sifiso used any old scrap paper and pens to draw with.

This is the original sketches he came to showcase his work with in the attempt to make his dreams come true.

This is the first models he made with the silver Jack Friedman supplied.