08 May 2014

At the age of 20 years old, Patricia Khutshwane is one of the youngest jewelry designers in the country. That has not deterred her, but instead her determination and passion shines through when she talks about her chosen profession.

Miss Khutshwane designs and assembles earrings and necklaces using different raw materials, among them leather, papers, bottle caps and plant parts. She developed a passion for jewelry at a very young age and started studying jewelry design in magazines to see how international designers were setting the trend.

“I was always inspecting jewelry designs to check out new trends in the international market. My interest in jewelry design intensified as I grew up,” she said.

But Khutshwane faced major impediments in her life. First off, her family was very poor, and they were enrolled into the destitute program by the department of social services. Her mother was given some money to start her own small business.

Sadly, her mother fell sick, and Khutshwane had to take over the family small business. Though she is based in Selebi-Phikwe, she hopes that one day she will be able to bring her business to the busy streets of Gaborone, preferably the Rail Park Mall. “There is potential for big business here. I could make a lot of money in Gaborone,” she said.

Khutshwane said she was never discouraged by the fact that she grew up in an under-privileged family. In fact, it only made her work harder. The opportunity to run her own small business was life changing for her, especially since she did not do well in her junior certificate exams.

“If I was not doing this, I would be probably roaming the streets, engaging in crime or other bad activities,” she said.

However,Khutshwane admitted that she sometimes faces a few challenges, especially her poor health and sometimes slow business. She added that she sometimes finds it difficult to find raw materials to make her jewelry. Ends