Terry and Mark Stokes
Bay Street Jewelers
The Legacy Behind the Sparkle
story by MICAH PEPPERS photos by SHAWN HILL
For 85 years, people have walked through the doors of Bay Street Jewelers looking for something special. Sometimes it is an engagement ring and the beginning of a marriage. Other times, it is an anniversary gift, a family heirloom in need of new life, or a piece of jewelry meant to mark a moment someone never wants to forget. But for Mark and Terri Stokes, the best part has never really been the jewelry. It is the people—and the stories that come with them. “The store speaks,” Mark says. “We share people’s lives.”
That has become especially meaningful this year as Bay Street Jewelers celebrates its 85th anniversary. The business first opened in 1941 as Fox Jewelers, and Mark and Terri have owned it for 35 of those years. For the Stokes, 2026 brings more than one anniversary worth celebrating. On August 10, Mark and Terri celebrated 41 years of marriage. “Working together and being married for 41 years is a real blessing,” Terri says. “Neither of us could imagine it any other way.” Mark agrees. “We are only complete if we work together. My day is much tougher if she works from home. We complete each other.”
Their partnership works, in part, because their strengths are different. Mark is a Certified Gemologist with the American Gem Society, one of only a handful in South Carolina, and began working in a jewelry store at just 16 years old. Terri’s background is in business and banking, as she’s a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a BS in Business Administration. When their son Brandon, now 39, was young, the opportunity for Terri to join Mark at the store gave her more flexibility to be home with him in the afternoons. What began as a practical family decision became a partnership neither would change.
For Mark and Terri, the people who work beside them are not employees. They are team members, and Mark wants them to have the freedom to share ideas and celebrate each other’s successes. “I know for a fact my staff would say they love it here,” he says. “We have fun,” Terri adds. And apparently, they mean it. Customers see the polished side of Bay Street Jewelers—the beautiful displays, carefully selected jewelry, and a team ready to help. What they may not realize is that when the store is empty, the team might be in the middle of a singing or dance party. They laugh and truly enjoy what they do and who they work with, but regardless of what happens when the store is empty, everything changes when clients walk in. Mark says the front door can open 80 times in a single day. “The second that door opens, no matter what we were doing, it is all about our client.”
After 85 years, Bay Street Jewelers has been there for some of the biggest moments in generations of Lowcountry families. “We’ve sold engagement rings and now sold engagement rings to the children,” Mark says. “What an incredible walk through history to be able to share the lineage throughout Beaufort.” One family has an antique, heritage ring, and over the years, Bay Street Jewelers has created five duplicates of the original so the tradition can continue through generations. Other customers have come to Mark after losing treasured pieces. With only a photograph, he has been able to recreate jewelry they thought was gone forever. “We can take someone’s ideas and develop them to their specifications,” he says. Terri says Mark’s talent goes beyond his technical knowledge. “He has the passion and a gift, and he listens,” she says.
After decades in the business and thousands of pieces of jewelry, ask Mark what still catches his eye and his answer has little to do with diamonds or gemstones. “I have seen every piece imaginable, but I love to see through the clients’ eyes what’s exciting to them,” he says. “Emotion is what stirs me. I live it vicariously through them.”
While that part of the business has remained the same, the way customers shop certainly has not. Today’s customers often arrive already armed with information from online research. Social media has also allowed Bay Street Jewelers to reach far beyond Beaufort. Customers can see pieces online and have purchases shipped directly to them, while others regularly travel from Savannah, Bluffton, Hilton Head, Charleston, and farther into South Carolina to shop with them.
Yet some customers who mean the most to Mark and Terri are those whose time in Beaufort may only be temporary. Living in a community with such a strong military presence has given the Stokes a deep appreciation for the active-duty service members, veterans, and military families who have been part of Beaufort—and Bay Street Jewelers—throughout the years. “We sincerely appreciate the sacrifices they and their families have made for us to enjoy our freedoms,” Terri says. “We love when they honor us by shopping with us.” Military life often means leaving, and the Stokes have watched families become customers and friends before moving on to another duty station. Sometimes years pass before they see them again.
Then the door opens. “Oh, we are so glad you’re still here.”
They have heard those words many times from military families returning to Beaufort. For a business celebrating 85 years, there may be no better compliment.
People leave. Families grow. Children become adults. Beaufort changes. But there is something special about returning and finding a familiar door still open and familiar faces waiting on the other side. That connection to Beaufort has even made its way into the jewelry. Bay Street Jewelers partnered with Destination Jewelry Brands™ and designed the Beaufort Bracelet that has become one of their premier sellers. And even as technology has changed retail, Mark and Terri have held onto some decidedly old-fashioned touches. Customers still receive handwritten thank-you notes after a notable purchase, and more than likely that purchase was wrapped with their signature handmade bow. Sometimes, customer service even means sending business somewhere else. If Bay Street Jewelers cannot get an item a customer wants, Mark says they will help them find it. “It’s important that the other stores around Beaufort are prosperous because it brings in more people,” he says. It is one reason the word “community” comes up so often when Mark and Terri talk about the store’s longevity. “We are so grateful for our community,” Terri says. “They give to us, and we give back to them.”
The Stokes have supported local nonprofits and organizations throughout their years in Beaufort. Their profession has also taken them around the world through jewelry organizations and buying groups, including Independent Jewelers Organization and Retail Jewelers Organization. Along the way, they have continued their education and developed lifelong relationships. “I’m just honored for the friendships we’ve made over the years with fellow jewelers throughout the states and our wonderful vendors.”
That gratitude is important to Terri because she remembers where they started. Unlike many jewelry businesses passed down through generations of the same family, Mark did not inherit a store. He started working in one at the age of 16 and worked his way up. “Nothing was given to us,” Terri says. “I always remember where we came from. I don’t take any of this for granted. We have worked very hard.” Faith has also remained central to their marriage and business. “It comes from God, and we are thankful for being blessed this way,” Terri says.
Ask Terri what piece in the store she would most like to take home, and after 41 years of marriage to a jeweler, her answer comes quickly. “My husband,” she says with a smile. Perhaps that explains more about Bay Street Jewelers than any diamond ever could. Because after 85 years, the story is not really about jewelry. It is about generations of customers, military families who leave and return, engagement rings, recreated heirlooms, handwritten notes, dancing when no one is watching, and a husband and wife who still prefer working beside each other.
As they look toward the future, Mark and Terri hope the Bay Street Jewelers name will continue long after their own chapter is complete. “We just want this store to continue forever,” Mark says. For now, they are enjoying the milestones in front of them—85 years for Bay Street Jewelers, 35 years as its owners, and 41 years of marriage. “We’re blessed where we came from, what we’ve been able to accomplish, and our relationships with everyone that has trusted us—not only with their merchandise, but even their stories,” Terri says.
Mark has his own reminder. “Yesterday’s history, tomorrow’s a mystery, and today’s a present from God.” After 85 years, there are a lot of stories inside Bay Street Jewelers.
And fortunately, that door is still opening.
Explore Bay Street Jewelers latest collections, custom design services, and latest pieces at baystreetjewelers.com. Follow on them on Facebook and Instagram.
