Jewellery is one of the most noble fashion accessories because sometimes it is used as a symbolic statement.
While others wear jewellery to add more flair to their looks, most wear it because it is something sentimental. For example, there are people whose jewellery is engraved with names of their loved ones.
Because jewellery means something to most people, PlatAfrica has created a platform to celebrate jewellery designers.
Hosted annually by Anglo American Platinum, Metal Concentrators and Platinum Guild International (PGI) India, the PlatAfrica jewellery design and manufacturing competition is a platform for local jewellers, artisans and students to showcase their jewellery design skills while learning new techniques.
“PlatAfrica is a demonstration of our commitment to bringing our purpose to life, exposing the talented and dynamic finalists to access and use platinum metal to expand their creativity and talents to greater design possibilities.
“I am proud and impressed by how each finalist has amazingly translated the concepts, designs and creativity to this year’s theme of #Emergence,” said Craig Miller, CEO of Anglo American Platinum.
At this year’s award ceremony at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, Lungile Xhwantini, the production manager and master goldsmith at the Platinum Incubator won his second award.
He won the first prize in the PlatAfrica competition for his neck piece called “Khalifah”, inspired by the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, and it is intended as a timeless statement piece for resilient leaders.
Taking to social media, Xhwantini thanked everyone who voted for him.
The designer won his first PlatAfrica award in 2020 for the “Sacred Shackle” neck piece.