Now celebrating its 75th anniversary of being in business, MJ Harrington & Co has plenty to look back on and plenty to look forward to. Harrington’s marketing manager, Stephanie Bergeron, shares some information and stories about MJ Harrington with us so you can get to know who they are and what they do best—jewelry!

David Lantz - Owner

Stephanie Bergeron - Marketing Manager

Q: For someone who's never heard of MJ Harrington Jewelers, how would you describe it?

A: MJ Harrington Jewelers has been a family-owned jewelry store for the last 75 years and sits in the middle of a quaint little town. They pride themselves on customer service and their commitment to the community. All jewelry repair, restorations, and custom designs are done in-house by three incredibly talented bench jewelers. When you walk in, you notice the warm and welcoming environment with no pressure to purchase anything.

Q: Where are you located and when are you open?

A: We are located at 35 Main Street in Newport, New Hampshire. Our hours are 10am to 3pm or by appointment.

Q: What kinds of jewelry do you offer? What other services do you offer?

A: We have an exquisite collection of fine jewelry. Sterling silver, gold, platinum, gemstones, pearls, diamonds, watches, our own Heritage Collection, and we also carry a unique Estate Jewelry Collection.

We offer a wide array of jewelry repair services that include ring sizing, prong repair, gemstone setting, remounting, restringing, and engraving. All repairs are done in-house and stored securely in our vault.

Bench Jewelers Custom Designs

Q: Do you have certain specialties or pieces of jewelry that you enjoy working on the most?

A: With three in-house bench jewelers, they all have their own unique styles. They all enjoy making custom designs, doing some hand engraving, and working with platinum. Some favorite gemstones to work with are sapphires and diamonds.

Q: Now that the 75-year anniversary is here, what do you like to look back on, and what's changed over the years?

A: The history of Harrington’s is deeply rooted in the community of Newport. For over three generations, we’ve served some of the most amazing customers. Some of our fondest memories are of Louise Lantz (owner David Lantz’s mother) baking and bringing treats for the staff and customers. She passed away in 2018.

While the way we do business remains the same, what’s changed is the technology: our need for an increase in online presence and digital communications to keep up with the changing times. Seventy-five years ago we started with hand-writing sales, and now we’re able to sell custom pieces online!

Q: What's in the future for MJ Harrington?

A: We are so excited to be celebrating 75 years in business! We have a weeklong celebration planned for the week of June 20. Along with the celebration, we are updating our website to be able to further accommodate our customers.

Q: Is there anything people should know about MJ Harrington?

A: We take great pride in what we do. Our staff is educated by the American Gem Society (AGS) and the Gemological Institute of America. Only those jewelers with the highest standards of professionalism, ethics, and education can become members of the AGS. Our staff is encouraged to continue their education.

Our jewelers are educated by the American Gem Society, Gemological Institute of America, Jewelers of America, New Approach School for Jewelers, and GRS.

Tom Armstrong has been with us since 1991 and he is a master bench jeweler; Kenney Bergeron has been with us since 2002 and is a certified bench jeweler; David Ernster has been with us since 2017 and is a bench jeweler and a master potter that is a current juried member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen.