PlatAfrica: Unearthed in Africa, Desired by the World
PlatAfrica – Unearthed in Africa, Desired by the World
How South Africa is turning its platinum heritage into a new generation of jewellery design, craftsmanship and global creative opportunity.
There is something inherently compelling about a piece of jewellery that carries a sense of place. Platinum, one of the world’s most coveted precious metals, has a particularly strong connection to South Africa, where some of the world’s richest platinum resources lie beneath the earth.
For decades, the country’s relationship with platinum has been defined largely by mining and production. Today, however, a different story is emerging: one in which platinum is not simply unearthed in South Africa, but transformed there into jewellery that speaks to creativity, craftsmanship and contemporary luxury.
At the centre of this evolution is PlatAfrica, Valterra Platinum’s flagship platinum jewellery design and manufacturing competition. More than a competition, it has become a platform for nurturing South African jewellery talent and demonstrating what can happen when access to one of the world’s most precious materials meets imagination and technical skill.
Inside PlatAfrica – The Journey from Mine to Masterpiece
From the Earth to the Jeweller’s Bench
PlatAfrica is built around three pillars: access to platinum, skills development and market access.
For designers, particularly those at the beginning of their careers, access to precious materials can be one of the biggest barriers to experimentation. PlatAfrica seeks to change that by placing platinum directly into the hands of eligible designers, students and apprentices, in many cases giving participants their first opportunity to work with the metal.
That access is significant. Platinum has its own characteristics and demands specialist knowledge, making the transition from an initial design concept to a finished piece a technically demanding process.
Through PlatAfrica, participants can develop those skills in practice, learning to understand the metal, push its creative possibilities and translate an idea into a piece of jewellery.
Since its inception, the programme has equipped more than 1,000 designers and jewellers with design and manufacturing skills. Each year, it supports between 60 and 90 professional entrants, as well as 120 to 150 students and apprentices.
The emphasis is not simply on producing beautiful jewellery. Participants take their ideas through the full creative journey, from concept development to manufacture, using digital technologies, traditional hand skills or a combination of both.
In doing so, PlatAfrica creates a rare intersection between creativity and craftsmanship, giving designers the opportunity to understand not only how jewellery looks, but how it is made.
PlatAfrica 2025
An elongated platinum ring shaped as an open cage of curved, parallel bars that extends along the finger. It’s minimal and architectural, with light passing through the structure.
The Creative Challenge of “Equilibrium”
Every year, PlatAfrica gives its participants a theme through which to explore the possibilities of platinum.
For 2026, that theme is “Equilibrium”, a concept centred on balance and the relationship between opposing forces.
For jewellery designers, it is a theme with almost limitless possibilities. Balance can be interpreted through form, proportion, movement, texture and symbolism. It can suggest the relationship between strength and delicacy, nature and technology, heritage and modernity.
The 2026 challenge invites designers to translate these ideas into distinctive platinum jewellery collections, incorporating responsibly sourced diamonds and blockchain-backed digital passports.
The result is a meeting of traditional jewellery craftsmanship and contemporary ideas around provenance, technology and responsible luxury.
South African Creativity Meets the Global Jewellery World
The journey does not end at the jeweller’s bench.
From 16 to 20 September 2026, PlatAfrica brought its latest collection of award-winning platinum creations to Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem World, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
For South African designers, the international showcase provided an opportunity to place their work before one of the world’s most important jewellery audiences.
Hong Kong’s position at the heart of the international jewellery trade makes it a natural stage for demonstrating the creative potential of South African platinum. Here, the story moves beyond the source of the metal to the people who shape it: designers, craftsmen and emerging talents whose work offers a new perspective on what platinum can become.
It is an important shift in perspective. The value of South Africa’s platinum story is no longer measured only by what comes out of the ground, but also by what designers can create from it.
Building the Next Generation of African Jewellery Talent
PlatAfrica ultimately represents a bigger ambition than a jewellery competition.
It is part of a movement to connect South Africa’s extraordinary natural platinum resources with the country’s creative talent, creating opportunities for designers to acquire specialist skills, gain manufacturing experience and reach new audiences.
For an industry increasingly interested in provenance, craftsmanship and the story behind a jewel, that connection is particularly powerful.
A piece of platinum jewellery can begin deep beneath the South African earth. Through the hands of a designer, it can be transformed into something entirely different: a work of art, a statement of craftsmanship and, ultimately, an object of desire.
PlatAfrica is helping to build the people and skills that make that transformation possible.
And as these designers take their work from South Africa to international jewellery showcases, they are creating a new chapter in the story of platinum, one that begins in Africa but has its sights firmly set on the world.
Creating Africa’s Next Generation of Platinum Design Talent
Young designers are at the heart of PlatAfrica’s mission. While the competition celebrates exceptional jewellery, its impact extends well beyond the finished pieces. Participants gain exposure to industry leaders, professional adjudication, mentorship and hands-on manufacturing experience, while building valuable connections with buyers, retailers and the media.
For emerging talent, these opportunities can be pivotal. Winning designers receive recognition, prize money and international exposure, helping to place South African jewellery design within the wider global luxury conversation.
Meet the Designers
Among the designers whose work illustrates the breadth of talent nurtured through PlatAfrica are Nihal Shah, Osmond Davies, Seinoli Valentine Maketela and Ronel Jordaan: four jewellers whose very different creative perspectives demonstrate the versatility of platinum as a medium.
‘Stratos’ by Nihal Shah
Second Place, PlatAfrica 2025
Nihal Shah’s Stratos ventures into a futuristic world where fashion, technology and fantasy converge.
Inspired by the concept of a virtual star, the design imagines jewellery as wearable art, a medium through which adaptability, self-expression, wellness and advanced technology can coexist. Its futuristic character reflects Shah’s broader creative approach, which explores the intersection of technology and contemporary luxury.
As a professional jeweller, Shah is drawn to bold, forward-looking design, using jewellery to question what luxury might look like in an increasingly technology-driven world.
Stratos demonstrates how platinum can move beyond traditional notions of precious jewellery, becoming a platform for experimentation, storytelling and futuristic expression.
Platinum ring with sweeping wing-like form and blue honeycomb pattern
‘African Nights’ by Osmond Davies
Osmond Davies brings a very different perspective to platinum design, one rooted in heritage, craftsmanship and the passing of knowledge between generations.
His African Nights draws inspiration from his personal journey through the jewellery industry and from the legacy he hopes to create through teaching. The design references traditional Xhosa and Zulu leopard and lion nail necklaces historically associated with leaders, reinterpreting these cultural forms as a luxurious, feminine platinum neckpiece.
The result is a piece that celebrates African heritage while reflecting Davies’ own philosophy of mentorship and craftsmanship.
A highly respected goldsmith, educator and platinum fabrication specialist, Davies brings more than 28 years of experience in South Africa’s jewellery sector. His contribution to the industry extends beyond the pieces he creates; through education and mentorship, he is helping to pass specialist jewellery-making skills on to the next generation.
In African Nights, heritage and contemporary luxury meet, creating a piece that is as much about continuity and legacy as it is about design.
A platinum necklace made of graduated, scalloped links. At the front, dark crescent-shaped elements dotted with small white stone accents alternate with long tapering spikes. Together they echo the claw and nail necklaces historically worn by leaders.
‘Mpho Ya Naha’ by Seinoli Valentine Maketela
Meaning “Gift of the Land”, Valentine’s Mpho Ya Naha draws on deeply personal and cultural sources of inspiration.
The design reflects the journey of a cancer survivor, bringing together themes of resilience, renewal and the preciousness of life. It also draws inspiration from traditional grass weaving, connecting contemporary platinum jewellery with an established African craft tradition. The piece symbolises resilience, transformation, hope, rebirth and cultural heritage.
Valentine is an emerging jewellery designer who creates meaningful pieces that celebrate resilience and personal transformation.
Inspired by traditional grass weaving
‘Resonance’ by Ronel Jordaan
The piece is inspired by Villarceau circles, mathematics and the ripple effect created when a pebble is dropped in water. The design symbolises unity, growth and responsible leadership.
Ronel Jordaan is a professional jeweller and maker whose work integrates craftsmanship with advanced design. Her designs frequently explore mathematics, symbolism, sustainability and connection, translating complex ideas into wearable forms.
A wide, sculptural platinum band built from open, faceted planes. They layer around the form in rippling rings, turning mathematical geometry into a wearable piece.
More Than a Competition
The stories behind these designers reveal what makes PlatAfrica significant. Its legacy is not defined solely by the winning pieces, but by the people, skills and ideas that the programme helps to develop.
From futuristic interpretations of technology to reflections on African heritage, mentorship, mathematics and personal resilience, the designers bring very different stories to the same precious material.
And that may be PlatAfrica’s most enduring contribution: creating a space where South Africa’s platinum heritage can meet a new generation of creative voices.
The metal may begin beneath African soil, but in the hands of these designers, its possibilities are global.