Share

WATCH: First look at the new Miss South Africa crown - which took 192 hours to make

accreditation
Miss SA 2018 Tamaryn Green (PHOTO: Getty/Gallo Images)
Miss SA 2018 Tamaryn Green (PHOTO: Getty/Gallo Images)

Cape Town - It weighs more than half a kilogram and is studded with 2 586 sparkling zirconia stones.

Created through cutting-edge technology, the crown took about 192 hours to manufacture. But best of all is the Ndebele pattern at its core – a dazzling nod to the theme of this year’s Miss South Africa pageant: celebrating the beauty and diversity of African women.

The brand-new Miss South Africa crown has been named Ubuhle Bethungo Lenkosazana, which means "beauty of the rainbow" in isiZulu and will be worn by this year’s winner. Buhle was created by American Swiss in collaboration with world-renowned jewellery designer Johan Louw of Uwe Koetter jewellers. 

ALSO READ: This is where and when you can watch Miss South Africa on Friday

"The Ndebele pattern on the crown was chosen because it’s almost universally recognisable as being South African," says Zimbini Peffer, head of marketing at American Swiss. “This crown first and foremost celebrates the importance of women in society as well as their contribution to the nation. The name was chosen to celebrate the cultural diversity in the pageant and the country.

"The colours are beautiful and vibrant in their own right, just like all the women who are participating in this year’s contest." The vision and idea behind the crown were decided in a matter of hours, but the actual design and manufacturing took plenty of time. The process began by using computer-aided design (CAD) to visualise the crown and then to produce a template.

"It included designing the crown on a computer program and creating an on scale production-ready item that can be 3D-printed, moulded and manufactured. The CAD designing of jewellery is complex, with each detail carefully translated from the original design and created digitally," Johan says.

Moving upward from the colourful foundation provided by the Ndebele pattern are pavé cubic zirconia topped by larger prong-mounted cubic zirconia heads. These are reminiscent of shooting stars, Zimbini explains – because a shooting star is what Miss South Africa will be. Since the crown needed so many stones, sorting of the zirconia took about 36 hours to complete and the setting process took another 64 hours. It was quite a job, Johan says, but it was 100% worth it.

Being chosen as the winner of the South African pageant isn’t only an honour but a responsibility as Miss SA will be an ambassador for our country. "I therefore wanted to create something that’s instantly recognisable as South African."

The crown, which weighs 517g, will be placed on the head of the winner on the big night by outgoing Miss SA Tamaryn Green, and then only make an appearance at special events. In between, Buhle will be locked away for safekeeping.

The previous Miss SA crown, Enhle, was first worn by Ntandoyenkosi Kunene-Mthethwa, Miss South Africa 2016, and used for the following two years. This year, with the change in the direction of the pageant being inclusive of a diverse range of contestants, it was only apt to change the crown too.

"We’re delighted with Buhle," Miss SA organiser Stephanie Weil says. "Like her name and the first woman who’ll wear her, she’s a real showstopper."

View this post on Instagram

?? Countdown to Miss SA 2019 | 6 days! ?? Let’s remember the year 2016. For the first time since 1991, the pageant was not held at Sun City (due to renovations) but rather at Carnival City in Jhb. The move made for some exciting changes - the stage for one was really modern and brought the audience much closer to the action. The Top 12 were all stunning! The swimsuit segment again was my favourite part of the show. The different designs kept things fresh and the finalists strutted that runway like it was on fire! The evening gowns were breathtakingly beautiful and I loved the earthy tones (gold, metallic and charcoal). The night ended with the crowning of 23-year old Ntandoyenkosi Kunene, an education honours student from Mpumalanga. Ntando was the first to receive the new ‘Enhle’ crown, which I absolutely adore! First runner-up was Elizabeth Molapo, whilst former Miss Teen World (2010) Tayla Skye Robinson finished in 3rd place. #misssa #misssouthafrica #misssa2019 #misssa2016 #ntandoyenkosikunene #elizabethmolapo #taylaskyerobinson #missuniversesouthafrica #missworldsouthafrica #???? #proudlysabeauties #proudlysa #southafrican #beautyqueen #queen #?? #missuniverse2016 #missworld2016 #missuniverse #missworld #missuniverso #missmundo #gorgeouswomen #beautifulwomen #inspirationalwomen #confidentlybeautiful #beautywithapurpose #missuniverse2019 #missworld2019

A post shared by Proudly South African Beauties (@proudlysabeauties) on

Get the best in Soccer, News and Lifestyle content with SNL24 PLUS
For 14 free days, you can have access to the best from Soccer Laduma, KickOff, Daily Sun, TrueLove and Drum. Thereafter you will be billed R29 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed.
Subscribe to SNL24 PLUS
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()