MANILA, (PNA) -– The Meycauayan Jewelry Industry Association (MJIA) is inviting jewelry designers to join the annual Philippine Fine Jewelry Design Competition (PFJDC) to further boost the local jewelry industry.
The PFJDC is a partnership among MJIA, Meycauayan City, Bulacan province and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that aims to enhance the designs of local jewelry to generate more revenue to the sector.
MJIA Chairman Cecilia Ramos said new jewelry designs attract the interest of more buyers.
“It (PFJDC) has boosts sales of members; buyers are now looking at Philippine-made products as potential source of fine jewelry because they have seen the beautiful designs that our designers has made,” she noted.
Aside from extracting new designs, the competition is also promoting the use of indigenous materials.
Ramos said aspiring jewelers, amateur and professional designers, and even students from schools offering design and design-related courses are joining the competition.
“Before, there were very few designers, now, they are already in abundance. We are more original in our designs, before we just copy from catalogues,” she said.
The organizers target to have 400 entries for the 13th year of PFJDC.
Deadline of submission of entries is on September 15 and announcement of winners is slated on November 29.
According to the Board of Investment (BOI), about 250 enterprises are engaged in the jewelry industry with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sharing 50 percent of the sector.
The Philippines has abundant resources in jewelry making as the country is considered the 25th highest producer of gold.
Aside from gold deposits, the country is also rich in gemstones such as opal, jasper, quartz, tektite jade, garnet, epidote, jadeite, and blue and green schist.
Locally-produced jewelry are also being exported to the United States, Hong Kong and European countries, among others.