2011 PlatAfrica Jewellery Design Awards winners reflect remarkable local platinum talent

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) October 27, 2011 -- The 2011 PlatAfrica Jewellery Design Awards winners stole the show at an elegant awards ceremony held on 15 October 2011 in Johannesburg,

The event, which was hosted by Anglo American Platinum Limited (Amplats), in conjunction with Metal Concentrators and Johnson Matthey, recognised the best platinum jewellery design talent in South Africa.

The theme for PlatAfrica 2011 was “Platinum Romance”, and thus, entrants into this year’s awards had to produce designs that reflected platinum’s romantic qualities. Professionals, students, and apprentices were eligible to enter the competition.

Amplats Executive Head: Corporate Affairs, Mary Jane Morifi, notes that all of this year’s winners produced outstanding quality platinum jewellery designs.

“The PlatAfrica 2011 winners have all demonstrated that South Africa has some of the best platinum jewellery design talent in the world. This year’s entries were of a very high calibre, and firmly reflected the platinum romance theme, through an array of visually captivating and precisely crafted designs.”

Noeline and Michael Angove, together with Kevin Palmer from Lazer Options, walked away with first prize in the professional category, which recognised the contributions of industry professionals. Second place went to Wooshen Pillay from Woosh Designs Jewellery Studio, while Dorathea Annandale from Dorathea Annandale won third place.

Taking the honours in the student design category was Wilma Greyling of Stellenbosch University. Catherine Slade from the College of Cape Town was honoured in second place in this category, and Kieran Tinsley from Cape Peninsula University of Technology was awarded third place, while Joseph Makhafola of Magda Nieman Jewellers took fourth place.

In the student and professional collaboration collections category, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, won first place. The team comprised of professional designer, Vassiliki Konstandakellis, together with Aimee Bredenkamp, Zanel Heystek, Zenre Rabe, Kieran Tinsley, and Elizka van Rensburg.

Second place went to the team from Mizane Jewellery, Ken Brandt and Donovan Johnston; while third place went to Durban University of Technology, which included professional designer Vijay Shah of Vijay Shah Jewellers, together with students Lungelo Dlamini, Sphelele Mbhatha, Jongani Mzukwa and Collin Ngiba.

“Amplats would like to congratulate not only this year’s winners, but all the contestants as well. Through simply entering their designs, this year’s entrants have demonstrated their inherent potential in platinum design. Furthermore, the prestige that comes with being recognised as a winner or finalist will provide both the professionals and the students with a platform to excel, and further entrench their design skills on the platinum industry.”


For further information, please contact:

Thabisile Phumo Head: Corporate Communications
Tel: +27 (0)11 373 6846


Notes to editors:

Anglo American Platinum Limited

Anglo American Platinum Limited (Amplats) is a member of the Anglo American plc Group and is the world’s leading primary producer of platinum group metals.

The company is listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE). Its mining, smelting and refining operations are based in South Africa. Elsewhere in the world, the Group is developing Unki Platinum Mine in Zimbabwe and is actively exploring in Brazil. It has exploration partners in Canada, Russia and China. Amplats has a number of joint ventures with several historically disadvantaged South African consortia as part of its commitment to the transformation of the mining industry.

Amplats is committed to the highest standards of safety and continues to make meaningful and sustainable difference in the development of the communities around its operations.

www.angloamericanplatinum.com

2011 PlatAfrica     Anglo American platinum     awards     jewellery design