Mancha Blanca. Since its second edition, he has been present at this craft fair, except for "three or four times" when he was unable to attend. For a craftsman, this fair is a practically essential event because, according to Franceschin, "it is the most important fair in Lanzarote and one of the most notable in all of the Canary Islands".
Mario Franceschin arrived in Lanzarote 20 years ago from Venezuela, although, at 56 years old, he has been dedicated to crafts for more than 25 years. His specialty is silver, although he also works with gold on request, and he makes all kinds of jewelry.
He learned the trade while traveling through different places, where he met people who were dedicated to it, since, at the beginning, "it is essential that someone guide you, that they teach you certain techniques". "I liked it and it seemed like a fantastic way to live, working on my own, without answering to anyone and doing creative work," says Franceschin, who adds that "for a couple of years" he was dedicated to something else, but that he returned to crafts, because "he missed that creative part of inventing things and depending on oneself".
A work of great effort
However, although it is a profession where one is one's own boss, one must put in "a lot of effort". In fact, Mario Franceschin works at least "eight hours a day, like any ordinary person". A job that is not only limited to his workshop, located in the Municipal Craft Workshop in Haría. And when he gets home, he continues "drawing and studying designs" for his works. "It is a job in which the more you strive and insist, the better," says Franceschin.
This craftsman, who has spent almost his entire life working with silver, admits that he does not follow trends too much. And the most important thing for him is "originality". In fact, in addition to selling his products in markets and fairs, he also does custom work. "People like to wear personalized things, in their own style. That is one thing we have in our favor. You cannot order a brand to make you a special ring, because it is very expensive. Here you can," explains Franceschin.
However, although he assures that in this time of crisis he is having "more orders than ever", he acknowledges that "now it is more difficult to sell" and that it has nothing to do with the "time of abundance" that was experienced in Lanzarote when he arrived 20 years ago. "Now with the crisis it is more difficult to sell, it costs a little more. You have to find a way to save costs and, above all, to be original. You have to be more creative than ever and advertise well, because people still want to continue being different, but at the same time that it is not expensive," says Franceschin.
What is clear is that Franceschin will put all his efforts into selling as much as possible at the XXII Insular Craft Fair of Mancha Blanca since, as he says, "it is an important event because it is September, the summer is over and we have to take advantage before schools start and people are more thrifty". In any case, Franceschín only has good words for this fair. And, as he explains, he believes that "there is no fair in all of the Canary Islands where the craftsman is treated like in this one". In fact, he adds, "there are fights on other islands to be able to come to Tinajo".