Cameo Shop Bringing Half a Century of Expertise in Jewelry to Norton

Arthur and Mary Ellen Stentiford have owned the Cameo Shop for more than 40 years, and they say it’s been a time of great memories.

“We have a reputation that says we trust you and feel very confident about leaving pieces of jewelry with you, no questions asked,” Mary Ellen said. “That’s the reputation we built over 40 years.”

Arthur’s father, David, originally started the jewelry store in 1947 as a repair and cameo framing shop.

“He framed cameos, because no one else wanted to do it,” Mary Ellen said.

The store was originally located on Old Colony Road, but the couple said they moved the store to Chartley.

“It’s a great commute,” Mary Ellen said.

The couple said they have expanded the business to include jewelry repair, manufacturing and remounts.

“We do custom jewelry from the design stage to the manufacture of the prototype, the model and the finished product,” Arthur said. “The customer gets to approve it along the way.”

The couple said that emotional aspect of the job is extremely rewarding, in that they get to provide, repair, reshape or create items that hold great significance to the customer.

“It’s just great,” said Arthur. “We’ve had a lot of people cry. It’s just fantastic when you can give somebody something that’s really important. It’s all about emotion.”

Arthur Steniford said one of the pieces of work he really enjoys is when a husband or wife comes in with their deceased spouse's wedding ring. The Stenifords reshape the ring into a heart necklace that the person can wear as a memento to the one they love.

Arthur said they’ve had projects in the past that were extremely unique.

“One girl came in with some quarters her grandfather left her,” Mary Ellen said. “He made a ring for her out of quarters.”

Arthur added that the piece still had all the dates on the quarters.

One of the more unique and sentimental pieces Arthur said he had made over the years was a molded to scale steamboat he made in 3D from a photograph.

“It was the riverboat that this family had rented every summer to go on vacation,” he said. “It was made to scale in gold and was about an inch and a half.”

To visit Cameo Shop for your jewelry needs, visit during store hours Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to  5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.