Innovative platinum jewellery designs from South Africa were showcased at the recent PlatAfrica Jewellery Design Awards in Johannesburg.

The event, sponsored by Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Johnson Matthey and Metal Concentrators, featured a "Platinum Romance" theme.

Winners of this year's contest "demonstrated that South Africa has some of the best platinum jewellery design talent in the world", explained Amplats executive head of corporate affairs Mary Jane Morifi.

She told Mining Weekly: "This year's entries were of a high calibre and firmly reflected the platinum romance theme through an array of visually captivating and precisely crafted designs."

Designs in three categories were recognised: joint work by professionals and students, individual creations by students and pieces crafted solely by professionals.

First prize in the professional category went to the team of Noeline Angove, Michael Angove and Kevin Palmer from Lazer Options.

Wooshen Pillay from Woosh Designs Jewellery Studio was runner-up, while Dorathea Annandale came in third.

Wilma Greyling of Stellenbosch University was first in the student category, followed by Catherine Slade and Kieran Tinsley, from the College of Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology respectively. Joseph Makhafola of Magda Nieman Jewellers was fourth.

Professional designer Vassiliki Konstandakellis and a team from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology emerged top in the collaborative section.

Head of corporate communications at Amplats Thabisile Phumo told Mining Weekly: "South Africa's remarkable platinum jewellery designers require an outlet to encourage their development of creative and inspired ideas, as well as acknowledge their hard work.

"The PlatAfrica Awards assists in facilitating the development of new platinum jewellery design talent and reinforcing the careers of established professional designers."
News of these awards comes as Johnson Matthey NY calls on US-based, emerging platinum and palladium jewellery designers to submit entries for its 2012 Sustainable Design Awards.

The competition is open to independent jewellery makers and designers employed by a manufacturer or retailer with less than five years experience in the industry, as well as postgraduates and final-year students.

Source:

Platinum major, partners honour jewellery design professionals and students (28/10/11) 

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