Sheila Mokgoadi originally from Limpopo and currently working in Johannesburg, is a young lady on a mission, a law student at UNISA with a passion for making beautiful things and the proud owner of Azura, a jewelry range where each item is lovingly made by hand.

 

The stunning range of handcrafted pieces bears testament to this.

Sheila studied art at high school and though she loved it, ‘live’ art and sketching did not really speak to her soul. And then she discovered “Beading” and it all began….

Sheila chose the medium of “beads” because they  are worn by anyone, anywhere in the world whether as expression of spirituality or individuality . She also found that the different types of beads though also beautiful to work with created a different mood and feeling whether it was wooden, glass or stone .Sheila has found a way to transform beads into a feeling or a mood or even just to glam up an otherwise dull or regular look. Whether woven together into a strand or worn as a single item they translate into a message of beauty. She draws her inspiration from the use of the sky blue beads of the Xhosa to the colourful adornment of beads by the Masai

 

Azura, which is a Swahili word meaning ‘sky blue/powdered blue sky” is the name of the Jewellry business that dynamic Sheila started in 2012. It was idea that she was toying around with for two years before she finally decide to take the plunge. Sheila chose the name Azura because in her opinion , “Under the blue skies of Africa, there is inspiration and opportunity for all” Sheila has always had a love for the creative arts and has always had the desire to showcase African creativity. The progression of a love for African art into a business was a natural transition as each of the lovingly created hand crafted items became sought after by friends and their friends. A clear case of “Creative Entrepreneurship”. Sheila immensely enjoys making each one of her items and as with all artists she doesn’t like re-making the same things. Therefore, each item is made in a limited quantity which has seen them become highly desirable by any fashionista worth their weight in Prada’s.

 

The idea is to create pieces which when worn by their owner gives one a feeling of uniqueness as there would be very few of the same item available. Whether chunky, colourful or textured…Jewellry communicates your personality and any lover jewelry will appreciate a handcrafted piece of  ‘Azura’

 

“I have a strong palette in terms of my jewellery preference, Azura is for women who appreciate colour, shape as well as texture on their jewellery because I love working with all these elements” says Sheila.

 

An astute young businesswoman, Sheila takes each piece from design concept right through to packaging and delivery.

 

To find out more about Azura Jewellery find them on Facebook as Azura Handcrafted Jewellery or tweet them @AzuraHJewellery or email address - azurahandcrafts@gmail.com.