To India with Love: Winners of the 17th Annual PlatAfrica Jewellery Design Competition

The winners of the 17th Annual PlatAfrica Jewellery Design Competition were announced last night in Sandton, Johannesburg with each winner getting the opportunity to design for the in Indian jewellery market, where platinum has become the symbol of love. India is one of the fastest growing platinum jewellery markets in the world, increasing tenfold in less than a decade - from 16 000 ounces in 2008 to over 200 000 ounces in 2016 - with significant potential for further growth.

The PlatAfrica competition is open to professional and apprentice jewellery designers, and design students in their third year of study. It is sponsored by Anglo American Platinum in association with Platinum Guild International (PGI) India and Metal Concentrators, to encourage and develop platinum jewellery design and manufacturing skills in South Africa.

This year the designers were presented with the theme 'Nuevo Traditions.' The challenge was to design for the 'post-urbanite' consumer segment, who, as a response to increasingly virtual living, seeks to connect more to their surroundings and favour thoughtful, emotional and spiritual connections. They prefer surfaces that are not perfect, lighter colours and softer textures. This consumer group also appreciates the contrast of ancient materials and processes combined with modern technology, recycling and raw construction.

The winners were judged on a combination of interpretation of the theme, design, originality, wearability, workmanship and technical excellence, and are as follows:

Professional category: 1st place winner is Sylvester Louw for The Spear of time bracelet, 2nd place is Magda Nieman & Abram Mathabatha for the Khoi San neck piece, 3rd place Phumlani Mngoma for the Isiphandla bracelet and 4th place Manuel Mpho Helepi for the Revelations ring.

Student & apprentice category: Joint 1st position are Jefta Mtole for the Women, bubbles as dreams pendant and Alexandre Antoine Thomy Vencatasawmy for the Unity ring, 2nd place is Vuyiseka Luke for Symbolic Messages bracelet, 3rd place is Simphiwe Dumengane for Heroic Symbols earrings and 4th place is Bongumusa Mtshali for the Izinyembezi neckpiece.

Chris Griffith, CEO of Anglo American Platinum commented, 'I am pleased to congratulate this year's talented winners of the PlatAfrica Jewellery Design Competition. These awards are an important part of Anglo American Platinum's efforts to develop local designers for global markets.'

All winners receive a cash prize; additionally, first prize winners in both categories are invited to attend and participate in PGI India's design sourcing workshops early in 2017, exposing them to an international consumer and retail market. They will interact with renowned jewellery designers and industry experts to gain insights and skills which will help them in their chosen field back in South Africa. Should they be successful, their designs could be selected to feature in retail stores in India.

Platinum Jewellery in India
India, the world's oldest civilisation, is home to one of the planet's youngest populations - with 70 percent younger than 45 years of age. The rapidly changing dynamics in Indian society and innovative marketing has led to the adoption of platinum jewellery as a love symbol.

About 60 per cent of this market is made up of wedding-related platinum jewellery purchases. Anglo American Platinum's wholly-owned Platinum Guild International India (PGI India) has launched the exquisite 'Evara Platinum Blessings' collection, jewellery that places platinum at the very heart of the wedding ceremony. Evara is rooted in Sanskrit and means blessings, a gifted jewellery set from the bride's parents to the bride and groom, carrying with it the platinum promise of everlasting love.

The everlasting bond of love is at the heart of every Evara design, as each piece has a unique platinum bond that holds together multiple strands of platinum, symbolic of the couple and their two families coming together, to create a beautiful new relationship.

This range of jewellery offers an ideal opportunity for the parents and family to bless the bridal couple's marriage by the giving of platinum jewellery, which is designed so that it can be worn beyond just the wedding day. Importantly, every time the bride wears her Evara jewellery she will be carrying with her, her parents' love and blessings.

In India many marriages are still arranged, so the couple will not necessarily have gotten to know each other all that well before they experience the traditional wedding, an occasion where their families come together, and wealth is transferred mostly in the form of jewellery. Recognising the couple discovering their love for each other at a later stage, PGI India is promoting the exchange of Platinum Love Bands on their 'Platinum Day of Love', a moment in time when the couple celebrate their affection and love for one another by exchanging these rings.

Symbolically, these two platinum jewellery collections are defining a place for platinum jewellery that is both personal and emotional and highly differentiated from gold. These market development initiatives in India have already seen a surge in platinum sales, forecasted to deliver a market demand of around 500 000 platinum ounces by 2020.