The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) Congress in South Africa this week featured an update on plans for sustaining development of the local jewellery industry.

The South African government is hoping to use the jewellery industry to help develop projects to help lift communities out of poverty through utilising the raw materials mined in the country.

Platinum is mined heavily in South Africa and in recent times beneficiation projects have been established in an attempt to keep some of the money made from mining in the country.

Platinum jewellery is becoming increasingly popular around the world and the South African government is looking to produce more of the final product in the country, rather than simply being able to provide the raw materials.

"This year the Department [of Minerals and Energy] will finalise the baseline beneficiation levels and these levels will be gazetted to allow mining companies to gain from this incentive," commented the Minister for Minerals and Energy, Buyelwa Sonjica.

Explaining the effort that the government is now putting into developing a sustainable future for the country's precious metals sector, she added that such initiatives are complemented by "dedicated initiatives such as the Platinum Group Metals Beneficiation Committee, which is a concerted effort by industry players and government to investigate opportunities in the downstream and sidestream beneficiation in the country."

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