Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail 335 Mosibudi Jo Mathole and Khomotso Ramodipa are two South African sisters who quit their jobs as an investment banker and an optometrist respectively, to start a diamond polishing business, at a time when the price of the commodity was so low and unattractive to investors. We all know diamonds represent a significant symbol of wealth in society. Only recently Burna Boy and Wizkid made it a prime factor as they played Ghana’s traditional game Oware with diamonds in Burna Boy’s new video ‘Ginger’. MUSIC VID: ‘GINGER’ Video Is Out! Watch Burna Boy & WizKid Play OWARE With Expensive Diamonds More Articles You Would Love Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Is Officially Cancelled And Here Is Every Reason Why Titi Belo @ Lagos Fashion And Design Week 2014, Day 1 – Nigeria #LFDW2014 In 2019, while speaking to the VOA, Mathole and Ramodipa said their love for diamonds drove them into the business. The industry in South Africa is still male-dominated and has actually shrunk. Once a booming business, diamond polishing has shrunk from 4,500 polishers 25 years ago to 250 polishers in recent times. Mosibudi Jo Mathole and Khomotso Ramodipa Despite the gloomy picture of the sector, the two sisters were unfazed and opened Kwame Diamonds in 2008. The shop in Johannesburg offers the cutting and polishing of precious stone. Putting South Africa On The Map With the 1st Only Women-Owned Diamond Interestingly, the company is the only firm in South Africa run by sisters and according to Women in Diamond, the sisters manage the only women-owned polishing business in the world. “The barriers to entry go beyond just being a woman or being a man because the difficulty boils down to having an outfit like this, you really need a proper capital outlay,” said Mathole, who is the company’s director. “And for women, it becomes a bit tricky because this has always been a very male-dominated industry.” The year they set up Kwame Diamonds, Mathole and Ramodipa became qualified diamond valuators and have since carved a niche for themselves in the polish and cutting of diamonds. Aside from that, they also ensure that they sourced diamonds responsibly and ethically. According to co-founder Ramodipa, they are accredited to cut and polish world-renown De Beers Group’s branded diamonds. “To be able to produce a Forevermark diamond, which according to them, it’s 1 percent of the world diamonds that are produced. … If you are able to polish that kind of diamond, then you are among one of the best,” she said. The South African sisters employ and train other women in the industry, a move seen as part of their own contribution of increasing female participation in the sector. Grace Tshego is a diamond polisher at Kwame Diamonds. “Now I can go out there and say, ‘I’m a diamond cutter,” Tshego is quoted as saying. “I’m even specializing with ‘fancy cut’. It’s something that is so wow, cause other people they don’t know it.” Mathole and Ramodipa have received commendations for their innovation and staying afloat in an industry in decline. “They’re looking at the diamond industry from a different perspective,” says the former president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), Ernie Blom. “They’re thinking out of the box. And maybe they’re ticking all the right boxes that is giving them the success that they have. And maybe that’s what a lot of the older diamond industry can learn from.” Source: Face2faceafrica.com Ghana Celebrity Watch UPCOMING PRIORITY EVENTS! VIEW ALL EVENTS To Submit stories Email: [email protected] or HashTag #FashionGHANA Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail Abigail Oluwakemi I'm a fashion stylist turned blogger, I hope you love my work. More For You #fGSTYLE: From The Church To The Lounge; Treat Your Sundays With These Trendy... #OOTD: Queen Of Afrobeats Yemi Alade Proves She’s Still The Queen Of African... #BeautyOfTheWeek: Check Out Stunning Images Of SA’s Vitiligo Super Star Yolanda Monyai From... VIDEOS: Tunis Fashion Week 2024 Ended With A Bang, Watch Snippets & See... “There Is A Risk Europe Could Die” Macron Speaks Shortly After Losing Control... PICS: “A Bald Woman Knows Her Kingdom” Gorgeous Top African Model Ayen Monica... #OOTD: Rutie B Hits Us With A Perfectly Stylish ‘Break-Out-The-Norm’ Top & Down... Nigerian Designer Uduak & Asiko Artist Recreate Yoruba Mythology & Gods in Stunning... Trashy Rap Star ‘Megan The Stallion’ Is Being Sued By Her Camera For... #OOTD: Nigeria’s Prudential Atelier Shakes Up The Internet With This Astonishing Wedding Guest... Leave a Comment Cancel ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.