Anglo American Platinum in partnership with Metal Concentrators last night hosted the PlatAfrica 2015 Jewellery Design Awards in Sandton.
The annual PlatAfrica competition which has been running for 16 years, has become synonymous with excellence in platinum jewellery design and is an important aspect of Anglo American Platinum’s beneficiation activities.
The competition is designed to give South African students and professionals the opportunity to work with the platinum metal. Students benefit from personally handling platinum and learning about its strengths and capabilities, and develop the skills required when designing and manufacturing platinum jewellery.
This year, Anglo American Platinum looked beyond South Africa’s borders to India, the worlds’ second-largest platinum jewellery market, for inspiration. The theme for PlatAfrica 2015 challenged both professional and student designers to create platinum jewellery for ‘The Bridal Couple’.
The Indian tradition of ornate bridal jewellery dates back thousands of years and remains an integral part of that county’s lifestyle and culture. It is renowned for its visual appeal. Whilst gold jewellery dominated designs in the past, modern Indian brides are moving towards innovative designs made from platinum, true to tradition, yet include a contemporary in aesthetic.
The brief to the design students was to create jewellery for the bridal couple that would be ‘simple, yet meaningful and modern, yet respectful of tradition; be elegant, while making a distinctive statement.’
The quality and creativity of this year’s pieces truly reflect South Africa’s talent and passion for platinum design, as qualified by the judges who worked tirelessly to select the following winners:
In the professional category:
First place - Bhekithemba Ngema - Ben & Co Designs
Second place - Johan Bothma - Altin Jewellers
Third place - Anne Manaczynski - Anaczynski Jewellery
In the student category for individual and collections:
First place - Karin Niehaus - Jack Friedman Jewellers
Second place - Jefta Mtole - Altin Jewellers
Third place - Karolien Pretorius - Stellenbosch University
Fourth place - Brendan Cloete & Angelique Anderson - Tshwane University of Technology
Winning Collection - Brendan Cloete & Angelique Anderson - Tshwane University of Technology
Congratulations to all the designers who took part and made this such a memorable evening.