Designing Cutting-edge Jewellery – Nihal Shah

Designing cutting-edge jewellery

Besides winning multiple awards as a bespoke jewellery designer and manufacturer, talented Nihal Shah (27) was one of the first jewellers in Durban to implement 3D jewellery printing.

Managing Director at family-owned Vijay Shah Concepts, Shah was humble and unassuming as he cited his top career highlights: Top 10 finalist in the PlatAfrica competition in 2013 while still a student; finalist in the De Beers Shining Light Awards in 2015; second in the Anglo Platinum competition in 2017; winner of the Anglo-American People's Choice Award

nihal shah Jewellery Design and Manufacture graduate (BTech) in 2019; and most recently, Finalist in the 2020 Anglo Platinum competition.

His late grandfather, Kishore Shah, was one of the pioneers of the Durban jewellery industry during apartheid, and his role model father, Vijay, opened Vijay Shah Concepts in 2002 and is a multi-award-winner as well.

The eldest of two children (he has a sister), Shah spent his childhood watching both his grandfather and father at work. “I would watch my Dad work for hours in awe, totally fascinated at how a piece of metal would be transformed into a beautiful item of jewellery,” he enthused.

After he matriculated with top marks from Northwood High School in 2010, both his parents supported his decision to study Jewellery Design and Manufacture at DUT. The highlight was his exhibition at the NSA Gallery.

Right: Shah's winning submission to the

Anglo-American People's Choice Awards in 2019. Below: The Uni-Tie (Unity) accessory Shah submitted for the Anglo-American PlatAfrica 2020 competition.

There’s no excuse for bad manners. Quality and honesty are not negotiable.

Shah earned second place with this bracelet at the Anglo Platinum competition in 2017.

“The Jewellery Department was small and intimate so I loved the interaction with my fellow students – we forged good relationships and had a good sense of camaraderie.”

Shah graduated from DUT in 2013 with a National Diploma and in 2015 obtained his BTech degree from DUT while doing a postgrad course in Commercial Jewellery Design and Product Development in Johannesburg, which dovetailed with his BTech dissertation.

Shah honed his craft part-time in the family business while still at DUT, implementing CAD/CAM technologies and introducing 3D jewellery manufacturing technology. He then interned as a CAD designer for Design @ 50 from 2014 to 2015 and went on to supply the jewellery trade with designs and 3D prints from his own business, Legacy Print Works, from 2015 to 2016. Finally, in 2016, he decided to join the family business full time.

No two working days are the same for dedicated Shah and he does not follow conventional hours. They entail waking up early to design or consult with clients, or are spent behind the bench manufacturing or designing on CAD. “I am fortunate in that I am able to bounce my ideas off my father,” said Shah. “We touch sides on a daily basis to compare notes and prioritise our orders.”

Always striving for excellence and advancement, he usually experiments and enhances his skills on his computer numerical control (CNC) machine/3D printers in the evenings. He does trade work (CAD designing and 3D printing) for other jewellers on an ad hoc basis and his machinery allows him to work 24 hours, if needs be.

His biggest career lessons centre around how one treats a person. “Everyone knows everyone in this industry and respect and humility are truly what elevates an average jeweller from an incredible one,” he asserted. “People remember you more than your business and it is important to be personable in an industry that is so absolutely personal.”

His advice to others in his field is to never give up. “This field is hard and everyone you meet has something to teach you,” he said. “Listen to your own inner voice but never, ever be unteachable. You learn more and go further when you understand that there is something you can learn from everyone around you.”

He mentored a staff member with no formal background in the jewellery industry for the Anglo Plat Awards, who was selected as a Top 10 finalist in the Apprentice category for 2020. “I am always willing to assist and mentor ambitious and hardworking students in the industry.”

For leisure, Shah enjoys going for long drives, watching TV series (he’s a self-confessed addict) and listening to music. “My favourite pastime is being with my family and catching up over a good home-cooked meal.”

Shah is proud to be single and takes time out for himself, his relationships and what is important to him. He feels that his personal life is as balanced as it can possibly be but it is tricky at times to make that differentiation while working in a family business.

“I’m lucky to have a very solid support structure and when life gets overwhelming, I can always lean on my family for support,” affirmed Shah. “For me, family is everything. There is nothing I would not do for my family.”