Jacob Nkhume Mahulwane's favourite material to create jewellery is silver.

Mahulwane trained at the Global Jewellery Academy in Johannesburg in 2015.

The 27-year-old from Dennilton in Mpumalanga has five siblings.

"Coming from Mpumalanga I was excited but nervous. I had to learn to adapt to the environment. But before coming here, I did mechanical engineering work.

"I had been knocking on doors until the academy accepted me," said Mahulwane.

He was one of the winners of the Thuthuka jewellery competition early this year. The competition was facilitated by the department of arts and culture and Mahulwane was best in the silver category and also won a cash prize.

He won the prize for his sterling silver necklace creation.

"It was a beautiful piece that one could easily become attached to," he said of his winning creation.

Mahulwane learnt a variety of skills at the Global Jewellery Academy,

"The first thing I learned was safety while using the machinery. You are given a job sheet which instructs you on what to do. I also learned technical drawing," Mahulwane said.

"The job sheet helps you to get a design idea. You get to play with the designs until you get an idea to work on.

"I am making a piece similar to the one that won me the competition.

"I will use the silver I won as a gift from the competition.

"I like silver because it can easily be manipulated to create beautiful pieces."

Mahulwane also owns a jewellery company Le Roux designs. He already has a steadily increasing clientele.

"It took me about a month to create the piece that won me the competition. I was nervous because I wanted to win.

"I can create really good pieces in two weeks," Mahulwane added.

"I would like to see my company grow, because I am running it professionally. I want to help create employment opportunities for young people.

"If you do get opportunity you must create as many jobs as you can."