Stone setting is a specialized skill that needs a lot of patience and concentration. It requires steady hands in handling gemstones and placing them on the base jewelry. Without gemstones there won’t be any sparkle on the jewelry.
Meycauayan's stone setters are also unsung heroes of the jewelry making craft. They skillfully set precious and semi-prescious stones on the jewelry to make them more elegant and luxurious.
The local gem/stone setters or mananara has a very special role in the process of making the jewelry. They are not to be sidelined as they also deserve to be put in the limelight. Their hands could do wonders on a jewelry. They give life to the rather lifeless gold or silver or platinum.
The mananara's job is a delicate part of jewelry making. One has to have crystal clear eyesight especially if he/she is setting very tiny stones or gems on a jewelry. One also needs to focus fully when doing the job as noone wants their diamond or ruby or pearls look lopsided. Hours and hours of work are needed to perfect the job.
Just like the platero, the mananara is slowly decreasing in numbers, as many new breed of jewelers depend so much on electronic machines and tools to do the job of stone setting. Still, we believe that a jewelry is much more special when it is made by a pair of hands from the scratch.
In support of the local gem/stone setters we also want to showcase their works of art. Helping the Meycauayan jewelry making industry regain it's lost glory will not just help the sellers of the jewelry but also all the other players involved in the process like the mananara. It may take a bit more time to relive it but surely this will keep the art alive. And when people are interested, it will create sustainability and long-term employment to our local handcraft jewelry makers.
