A cut above
American Swiss collaborated with local celebs Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp
and Ian Bredenkamp to celebrate the glamour of diamonds T HEY say diamonds are a girl’s best friend — but in this instance, the diamond befriended both Expresso show host on SABC3 Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp and Radio presenter and entertainment publicist Ian Bredenkamp. The couple, who were married in February 2013, teamed up with American Swiss to celebrate the glamour of the most coveted gem.
In an exclusive VIP cocktail evening held at Canal Walk in Cape Town, the couple not only celebrated their love, but also the platinum designer ring they had designed with American Swiss.
The gem itself reflected Elana’s personality. “She is a ball of fire!” said Shelley Wilkinson-Rorich, American Swiss Diamond’s designer. “Full of energy, and extremely confident — and she has great attention to detail. The journey of creating her ring was full of intuition. She’s a heartand-soul kind of girl. The stone had to ‘speak to her’ before she selected it. We went through a number of styles, shapes and designs and narrowed it down to two styles. She had our team hanging on the edge of their seats because she felt she needed to ‘sleep on it’. It was the longest 24 hours ever,” she said.
“The end result is a modern take on the glamour of a bygone era. The delicately crafted platinum setting oozes luxury and design. Set with a fancy 1-carat cut cushion stone surrounded by a halo of smaller handset diamonds and enhanced by a beautiful diamond encrusted shank, totalling a magnificent 1.5 carats.
This modern classic engagement ring is complemented by a matching diamond eternity ring, finished to the exacting American Swiss standards. It’s a spectacular sea of sparkle, it’s all her!” said Wilkinson-Rorich.
Ian said it was a partnership made in heaven. “It’s been a terrific process. From the minute we stepped into the American Swiss store, we knew we’d be in good hands — being part of the process from beginning to end has been insightful and very special.”
Elana had the chance to be a giddy bride again, adding: “I’m overwhelmed and excited. I never knew wishing for a diamond could come true in such a remarkable way. I’m sparkling, I’m frosted!”
It may have been a VIP event, but it’s there for the world to see. The journey of creating the one-of-a-kind ring with the couple was captured in a beautiful twominute film produced by up-and-coming local creative team Andrea•Gwynn.
The film can be viewed on the American Swiss website www.americanswiss.co.za and the brand’s YouTube channel.
TFG Group Director, Shani Naidoo was as delighted as Ian and Elana.
“They have helped us capture the glamour of American Swiss Diamonds. And now with 25%* off all diamonds, the fantasy of a gorgeous diamond can become a reality.”
25%* off all diamonds ends August 31. 1. Adelaide May 2. Elana’s diamond ring 3. Ian Bredenkamp and Elana AfrikaBredenkamp 4. Clayton Morar and Yvonne Shaff 5. Natasha du Toit and Guy McDonald 6. Shani Naidoo, Katlego Maboe, Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp, Lee-Anne Williams and Ian Bredenkamp 7. Nicole de Wet and Tapfuma Makina 8. Kim Coe and Taugheedah Abdullah Jacobs