PRESS ROOM

Gem of a LadyAuthor: Robbie Vermont, Plus 50 2008-02-01

GEM OF A LADY, JENNA

Jenna Clifford is just bordering on the plus 50 category, not that you’d believe it. She’s beautiful and so fired with enthusiasm and passion she could have you believing black is white, if she had a mind to!

Her zeal is unbounded and this is reflected in her art, her contributions to the community, her business acumen and her home. She does nothing by halves. Everything she undertakes is with a full frontal assault. As a result, she is a motivator: by projecting her energy, she makes things happen and inspires others as well!

Dreams … and hard work Best known for her Jenna Clifford brand of jewellery, launched in 1992, Jenna is less recognised for her community work and involvement. Did you know, for instance, that she and Springbok swimmer and Olympic gold medallist Ryk Neethling are in the process of rolling out the ‘Dream Big’ philanthropic project which aims to encourage others to follow their hearts and make their dreams come true.

Jenna believes that whatever your dream, you can make it happen. “Your dreams are potent,” she says. “Stick to your dreams. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been disadvantaged in any way as long as you stay true. As long as you stay loving, as long as you stay dreaming, you’ll get there. But remember, the one essential ingredient to set this cement is hard work. The experience gained from hard work is something that can never ever be taken away, and can  always be put to good use.”

Hard work and some agony, including the untimely death of her first daughter and two difficult divorces, have seen Jenna come through like fine-tempered steel. “We all go through difficult times and learn from them and grow stronger because of them. Now, I’m blessed to have three wonderful daughters and a fantastic husband of 16 years who is a sweet, good man.”

A swimmer turned jeweller

Born in the Marymount Maternity Hospital in Fairview, Johannesburg, Jenna was educated at Jeppe Prep and Danville Girls High School in Durban, where she matriculated. At this stage she was a passionate swimmer and reached provincial level. Putting her expertise to good work, Jenna taught swimming. Soon, at just 19, she found a job in a jewellery factory in Johannesburg’s Jeppe Street, where she learned all there was to know about the  technical and production side of the trade from Harry Urdang, a well known and respected jewellery manufacturer. It was not long before Jenna leaned towards the artistic side of the business.

Her grandfather and Gary Player had a great influence on Jenna

“I was an only child and very blessed to have a wonderful grandfather who firmly believed in stoking my talents,” she says. “He bought me all the pencils, pastels and paints I needed to develop my creative talents. He gave me the platform to express myself and the self-confidence to realise my dreams.”

Another great influence in her life was Gary Player. “I have only met him once, but as a child. My father just loved him for what he stood for: his determination, his slightly smaller stature, his sheer ability to transform the physiological form into mind power and how he became one of the greatest golfers the world has ever seen,” explains Jenna. “As an ambassador for South Africa, he is to be greatly admired. So are his continued endeavours to promote this country. My father idolised him and, as an only child, I was naturally influenced. Can you believe that in his 70s, Gary Player can do more push-ups than any 20-year-old that I know!”

One of the factors that led Jenna to start her own business was the belief that the jewellery industry lacked creativity. She saw this as a gap in the market and believed that she could produce fine-quality jewellery, using her unique design skills. With her strength of character, deep-seated belief in herself and innovative design talents, Jenna started on her own.

Today her business has grown to encompass four brands: Jenna Clifford Fine Jewellery, Renaissance Jenna Clifford: the range of affordable, wearable pieces, Jenna Clifford Homewear and Jenna Clifford Trophies.

The Businesswomen’s Association

The success of her business has enabled Jenna to make a positive contribution to facilitating change in South Africa. Despite being on the brink of the big 5-0, Jenna is still young enough to want to change the world. However, being practical, she understands that her ideas and philosophies may not always make a global difference, but she knows that she can make a significant impact locally.

In 1998 Jenna assumed the chair of the National Association of Women Business Owners. At the time three organisations catered for business women. “Two of us worked to amalgamate the three – the Executive Woman’s Club and ProWaldo, a black women’s business forum – with NAWBO to form the Businesswomen’s Association (BWA), a nonracial group.”

Then, in October 2006, De Leeuw Roses named a rose after her. She requested that all the royalties from their sale be donated to the BWA because so many South Africans do not have the opportunity for a tertiary education. “These funds are used for bursaries,” explains Jenna, “although I’m not alone in the BWA as other companies contribute generously to the bursary fund.”

The secrets of success

Jenna is an avid reader and devours books on any subject under the sun, excluding novels. Her favourite book is Secrets of Success by Marco Saravanja. “Marco is a Croat living in South Africa whom I have been very fortunate to meet,” says Jenna. “This is the most marvellous book on key life lessons. It is essential reading. I dish out copies of this book as it is so inspirational that I feel the need to share it with others. It has a very good spiritual call, a very good life-force call, it’s not judgmental, and it’s a spiritual path of practice with leadership as its main goal.”

Her belief in the message of this book is evidenced by the fact that she sent a copy to the minister of education, Ms Naledi Pandor.  “One thing I dislike is racism,” says Jenna. “Our schooling system could help in overcoming this problem by teaching cultural differences so that we all understand one another’s motivations and beliefs. Our future depends on our youth and what we feed them is what they will become. You’ll note that our successful schools do well because of effective, dedicated and inspired leadership and we need a lot more of that.”

Like all philanthropists, Jenna does not brag about her good work, but when prompted, will make passing offhand references to some of the charitable activities she’s involved in.

In addition to her work with schools and the BWA, Jenna works with Ryk Neethling to support the Dream Big project, the Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa and the Bloemfontein Children’s Home. The main beneficiary of the Dream Big project is The Tomorrow Trust, whose mission is to impact the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children affected by HIV/Aids through education. The Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa is also making a positive contribution to the lives of children. Over the past 15 years the paediatric cardiac team has performed over 5 000 corrective surgical procedures on babies and children who would not otherwise have survived.

‘I am not a glamour pussy … I’m a bit of a farmer!’

There are two sides to Jenna’s day-today life. There’s the business side and there’s the family side. To keep both on an even keel, she divides her working week between the business in Gauteng and her home in Mpumalanga.

“I’m not a glamour pussy,” she avers. “I know the jewellery industry is a glamour business, but in fact I have a  dichotomy of a life between the glamour side, where I meet well-known people and see to their needs, and the natural side, where I’m a bit of a farmer. We grow a range of indigenous plants to help rehabilitate damaged environments, and we also grow a lot of our own produce such as vegetables and herbs. I love cooking because I love food. I look on it as my hobby. The kitchen is a central part of our family life!"

“I’m enjoying this latter part of my life, the non-pseudo side, the organic side and people just being themselves. That’s what I love about White River. In a village atmosphere like this you learn caring and sharing, which are essential human attributes. It’s something else we’re failing to address in our schooling systems. We’re not teaching life skills and the value of life or the value of nature, and the need to keep our world a godly place, and the need to sustain it. I find that at this stage of our lives we should try to give something back to our communities and demonstrate the importance of these values.”

Here is a lady who is enjoying the multiple fruits of her labours, but has no hesitation in sharing them with others less privileged.