The journey came a long way for Raffles Jewellery Designer, Raksha Reddy who emerged as the winner of Necklace Category for the MIJF Jewellery Design Awards 2014! Her peers, Stella Margaretha and Yang Mingyu were amongst the other finalists too.
Held in conjunction with Malaysia International Jewellery Fair 2014 (MIJF 2014), MIJF Jewellery Design Awards is Malaysia’s most prestigious jewellery design competition. It aims to elevate Malaysian jewellery industry towards an international standard and eventually, transform into the industry’s trendsetter. Ever since its second introduction, it has attracted more than 400 students’ submissions from all over the globe including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, China, India, Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA and more.
Raksha remarked, "It was very unexpected! I initially thought it was a prank by my friend till I witnessed the results online. It was really amazing as I felt a great sense of accomplishment. Although the win came after 3 years, it marks a great achievement for me. Through this competition, I have learned the expectations of styles, designs and quality in the current jewellery industry. “With the competition theme "European Style", Raksha sourced her inspiration from the Victorian Era, the drapes of intricate gowns worn by women during those times. Her necklace design represents feminism in its purest form.
![](/media/ckeditor-uploads/2014/08/15/2_.jpg)
While the sapphires represent wisdom that a woman possessed, diamonds represent courage and everlasting beauty. "For my peers, keep trying till you succeed. Never ever give up because once you win a competition, it keeps you participating for more." For more information on Raffles College of Higher Education, Singapore programme details, please visit http://www.raffles-iao.com/.