Old New Owner At A.K. Dasher Jewelry

When the postcard arrived announcing new ownership at the popular Stonington Borough jewelry shop, I wondered, hmmm … why mess with a good thing?

I wasn’t the only one. Locals, tourists and neighboring businesses all have come to at 141 Water Street with its bounty of affordable jewelry.

Fear of any negative change is misplaced, however, as half of the original partnership is returning to take over from the other half. Ray Mercer and his wife, Jan, opened the store back in 2001. She took over in 2008 and now he is returning, as she needs to devote more time outside of the business.

What will change is the amount of , which Mercer expects to grow ten-fold. It will remain incredibly affordable, at 50 to 75 percent off regular retail, and offer, as he says, designs from cutting edge to classics. Prices range from about $4 up to $300 plus. A trendy, triple-wrap bracelet of gemstones, leather and sterling silver sells for $24.50; earrings range from less than $4 to the $30s and $40s.

A.K. Dasher Jewelry, soon will house one of the largest displays of sterling silver in New England, Mercer said, in the same way his Port Townsend store on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula has become that of the Pacific Northwest. He said he plans to come back East to the borough store for a time each month. 

He characterized the merchandise as easy, that also is within the concept of “stress-free jewelry,” in which the consumer needs no special expertise to discern whether to buy.

“Do you like the piece? If you like the piece, you can buy it,” Mercer said.

The inventive window displays will keep pleasing the eye and the name also will stay the same. The couple created the name in 2001 to reflect thoughts of New England, as the first reindeer’s name is Dasher and old-time merchants often used initials in business names. Also A.K. sounded phonetically pleasing and is easily understood over the phone.

Mercer said his former wife, Jan Geyer, when deciding to sell, worried mainly about the fate of the shop’s dedicated staff. No worries there either, as the employees remain and also will be given the opportunity to create and sell their own designs when the business launches its emerging artists showcase.

“It gives a lot of encouragement to their creative side and keeps it fun and interesting,” Mercer said.

The grand reopening is scheduled for 10 a.m., today, Tuesday, November 1.