Luxity Fine Jewellery began with a personal tribute. For founder and creative director Kamogelo Phago, creating jewellery became a way to honour her late grandfather, an artisan whose work as a welder and craftsman helped shape her own creative journey.
Today, that tribute is growing into a South African luxury jewellery business. The Gauteng-based brand won Top Manufacturing Brand at the 2026 Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards, marking a milestone in Phago’s journey from qualified goldsmith to entrepreneur.
For this edition of Brands on the Rise, we explore the craftsmanship, personal stories and ambitions behind the business.
The founder behind Luxity Fine Jewellery
Born in Ga-Matlala, Limpopo, and raised in Johannesburg South, Phago developed an interest in art and working with her hands during her school years.
She went on to study Jewellery Design and Manufacturing at Tshwane University of Technology, qualifying as a goldsmith and professional jeweller. In 2024, she further developed her skills through specialised jewellery-making training in China.
Her education gave her the technical foundation to pursue the craft professionally. However, the inspiration for building her own brand came from closer to home.
Her grandfather’s ability to create meaningful objects with his hands left a lasting impression. Establishing Luxity Fine Jewellery on 30 September 2021 became her way of carrying that legacy forward through a creative vision of her own.
Jewellery shaped by identity and experience
Luxity Fine Jewellery designs, manufactures and sells handcrafted pieces using precious metals and gemstones. Its offering includes both ready-to-wear jewellery and bespoke designs.
Phago draws inspiration from everyday experiences, emotions and the journey of womanhood. Through her work, she aims to create pieces that reflect individuality, modern elegance and the evolving identity of women.
“For me, jewellery should not only make you look elegant, but it should also remind you of who you are, what you have overcome and where you are going,” she says.
That philosophy places personal meaning at the centre of the brand. A piece becomes more than an accessory: it can hold a memory, represent a milestone or become something passed down through generations.
What the 2026 YOBA win means
Winning Top Manufacturing Brand brought recognition to the work behind the finished pieces, from learning and technical development to the demands of building a business.
For Phago, the award also offered reassurance during a journey that has included moments of uncertainty.
“As a young South African founder, there have been times when I questioned whether my work was being seen or whether my vision would become a reality,” she says.
She describes the recognition as a source of visibility, validation and renewed confidence. It has encouraged her to think more ambitiously about the business and the opportunities it could create for others.
Her advice to fellow founders reflects that experience: recognition may take time, but the wait should not stop them from believing in what they are building.
Building experience beyond the workshop
The YOBA win follows several achievements in Phago’s development as a jeweller and entrepreneur.
In 2022, she won first place in Rand Refinery’s Enterprise Development Programme. She has also completed a Jewellery Excellence Masterclass, adding to her technical and professional knowledge.
According to the brand, its business journey includes supplying boutiques, selling through Takealot and collaborating with Tino Chinyani and Simphiwe Ngema.
Luxity Fine Jewellery has also attended and exhibited at Mining Indaba in 2024 and 2025. Phago’s story has reached radio audiences through an interview on The Clement Manyathela Show on 702.
Together, these experiences have helped the founder build connections beyond her workshop while introducing the business to different audiences.
What comes next for Luxity Fine Jewellery?
Phago’s ambitions extend beyond growing a consumer-facing jewellery label. She wants to develop the business into a South African manufacturer supplying boutiques and retailers locally and internationally, using locally sourced materials.
The brand is exploring potential opportunities in Tanzania and Ghana. It is also planning its first physical store in Hyde Park.
These remain growth plans, with no store opening date announced in the information supplied.
For Phago, the longer-term goal includes creating employment and building a business that carries her grandfather’s influence into the future. Every handcrafted piece is another step towards that ambition.
Explore the collection on the Luxity Fine Jewellery website and follow the brand on Instagram.
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