One of AngloGold Ashanti's major independent marketing initiatives in the area of jewellery design is
ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI AUDITIONS - a global jewellery design competition initiated and driven by AngloGold Ashanti.
AngloGold Ashanti AuDITIONS is one of the vehicles used by AngloGold Ashanti to develop and showcase progressive design in high caratage gold jewellery. Progressive design is of vital strategic importance to the global gold industry. Without progressive design gold jewellery will lose touch with an increasingly demanding global consumer.
AuDITIONS seeks to increase the profile of design in gold in the eyes of consumers in key markets. The AngloGold Ashanti AuDITIONS family includes South Africa, Brazil, India and China, with a Middle Eastern competition to be added soon.
AngloGold Ashanti has, over the years, committed itself to support for the jewellery sector in its home markets, including South Africa, Brazil and now Ghana. Through initiatives in this area, AngloGold Ashanti provides structural support to assist the growth and development of downstream industries in the gold producing countries in which it operates. Such a strategy is designed to assist traditionally mining-focused economies to increase the value added to gold mined prior to export and to promote and develop domestic demand for gold and gold products.
In South Africa, activities undertaken in this context have included a 25% investment in South Africa's largest gold jewellery manufacturer,
OROAFRICA, support for training projects such as the Soweto Jewellery School and Vukani Ubuntu, research into the gold value chain, including the compilation of the '
GOLD IN SOUTH AFRICA' handbook and support for a Gold Advance Scheme designed to facilitate cost-effective financing of gold inventory for the South African jewellery sector.
In both South Africa and Brazil, AngloGold Ashanti has staged gold jewellery design competitions, now under the banner of
AUDITIONS, to promote the development of gold jewellery design in these markets. Activities undertaken by
ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI MARKETING BRAZIL have been diverse and have included funding for a gold alloy research laboratory at the Centre for the Study of Gem and Jewellery Design at the State University of Minas Gerais (UEMG) and support of the Zuzu Angel Fashion Institute in Rio de Janeiro, an institute which aims to promote key sections of the Brazilian economy, including the jewellery manufacturing sector, by harnessing Brazilian creativity and fashion flair.
The
GOLD OF AFRICA MUSEUM was established by AngloGold Ashanti as part of its programme to preserve the artistry of African goldsmithing and inspire modern gold jewellery design.
Thousands of years of legend, ritual and craftsmanship are displayed in the world's most comprehensive collection of artefacts from the gold-rich kingdoms of Africa.
At the heart of the Museum is the permanent exhibition - the world-famous Barbier-Mueller Collection - one of the largest and most important collections dedicated to the art and craft of the African goldsmith. This collection comprises over 350 African gold artifacts and jewellery of the 19th and 20th century from Mali, Senegal, Ghana and the Cote d'Ivoire.
Set in one of the oldest colonial houses in South Africa, this beautifully restored landmark houses temporary exhibitions, a museum shop and presentation suite, wine cellar, coffee shop and garden courtyard, and a state-of-the-art goldsmiths' workshop.
Founded in 1987, the
WORLD GOLD COUNCIL (WGC) is an organisation funded by some of the world's leading gold mining companies. It aims to stimulate and maximize the demand for and holding of gold by consumers, investors, industry, and the official sector.
As well as undertaking marketing initiatives to drive demand, the WGC is instrumental in working to lower regulatory barriers to ownership of gold products, helping to improve distribution systems and promoting the role of gold as a reserve asset in the official sector.
AngloGold Ashanti was a founding member of the WGC and continues to be one of its largest funders, contributing approximately US$10 million to the organisation's budget each year.