She was “the kind of person you wanted to know.”
Cheryl Barbara Stark of CB Stark Jewelers on Martha’s Vineyard has died at age 70, MV Times reports.
She passed away Jan. 2 at her home in West Tisbury, MA.
Stark’s store last year celebrated its 50th anniversary. INSTORE published a Q&A with Stark and partner Margery Meltzer.
Fresh from the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston, Stark came to Martha’s Vineyard in 1966 to teach silversmithing at an artisans’ collective. She quickly fell in love with the island community and opened a small studio.
A few years later, she was joined by Meltzer, who was a recent philosophy graduate. Stark is shown at right in the photo below, standing with Meltzer.
Together they built CB Stark Jewelers into one of the Vineyard’s best-known businesses, with two stores and a growing online operation.
Advertisement
MV Times quoted West Tisbury resident John Anderson saying: “She was very cool, always had a smile, the kind of person you wanted to know, so we struck up a friendship. She was a fabulous woman, and had a wonderful life on the Vineyard. She was an Island fixture.”
Read more at MV Times

After 139 Years, A Family Legacy Finds Its Perfect Exit With Wilkerson.
When third-generation jeweler Sam Sipe and his wife Laura decided to close Indianapolis’ historic J.C. Sipe Jewelers, they turned to Wilkerson to handle their retirement sale. “The conditions were right,” Sam explains of their decision to close the 139-year-old business. Wilkerson managed the entire going-out-of-business sale process, from marketing strategy to sales floor operations. “Our goal was to convert our paid inventory into retirement funds,” notes Sam. “The results exceeded expectations.” The Sipes’ advice for jewelers considering retirement? “Contact Wilkerson,” Laura says. “They’ll help you transition into retirement with confidence and financial security.”