The stones in the path of Erica Manjate

In the middle of the path there was a stone. The previous verse sentence opens a famous poem by Carlos Drummond de Andrade. And it repeates itself, in this poet’s habit of disguising complexity in the joy of simple words. The grace of simplicity, as another Brazilian poet, Olavo Bilac, would say. The stone is a metaphor and the metaphor has the colors of the lives of those who read it. In the middle of Érica Manjate’s path there was also a stone. In fact, several stones. But not the gray-obstacle ones of Drummond. Stones whose colors make them objects of worship. “I saw my mother adorned with stones and I thought it was very beautiful. I wanted to understand where those stones came from and how they were formed.”

Advertising

Just like Drummond, Érica never forgot this event. Drummond wrote a poem, Érica created a business venture. Érica is Rikka, the jewelry brand with the seal made in Mozambique. Drummond and Érica. Word and stone. And this exercise of polishing the raw material until it becomes a poem and a jewel. But this is the present. There is a past of forgotten dreams in the name of a career in education. She studied Tourism Management and worked independently in Reception Tourism. But the military instability between 2013 and 2014 made the country a risky destination. “I ended up losing the contracts I had,” she says. And the period of suspense during which she had nothing to do and didn’t know what to do opened the curtains on the past. Once again, the stones.

She went to Tanzania to learn about gemology. When she returned to Mozambique, she started out just selling rough stones. “But I thought the country would lose a lot, because everything was exported in rough form,” she states. So she started cutting stones and studying jewellery, involving silver and gold. And déjà vu! She remembered her mother, and the actresses she saw in movies and soap operas, with emerald, ruby ​​and topaz necklaces. “The refraction was so intense,” she says, and, with the distance of time, we can still see the sparkle in her eyes.

She already has a diverse client base that seeks authenticity from Rikka. Clients go beyond Mozambique and reach Algeria, Egypt, France, Portugal and South Africa. The time that transforms into an idea and the hand to dress the necks, wrists and ears of women – and also men – ends up lifting the veil that has always been wrapped around stones. “Rikka’s mission is to make our mineral resources known”, she says. And, to this end, the work of analyzing and certifying stones that she has been doing also contributes greatly.

Edição 83 MAR/AGO| Download.