A changing of the guard is taking place at one of Mount Clemens’ best known jewelry stores.

Dan Nevin, the longtime owner of Thomas Nevin Jewelers, is handing the welding torch off to Anthony Ventimiglia, who is taking over the shop. The paperwork was finalized Thursday morning at the store on Cherry Street.

Nevin, 72, of Harrison Township, sold the business after 40 years of designing custom jewelry and offering professional watch repair.

“I’m having some surgery done on my neck (this) week that stems from me being a bench jeweler and hunching over for 40 years,” he said. “The doctor says ‘no more bench work for you.’”

While Nevin, who had a previous store sale fall through, was contemplating what to do, Ventimiglia was looking to buy his own store. He was having lunch with Mount Clemens Mayor Laura Kropp, who mentioned the Nevin store.

“She knew I was looking for a store and said Dan Nevin had a deal fall apart and said maybe I should knock on his door,” Ventimiglia said. “So I did.”

The 46-year-old Chesterfield Township resident was 17 when he started in the jewelry business working an apprenticeship for a master waxer, master setter, and master fabricator in Rochester. That’s where he picked up the trade.

Ventimiglia also worked for about 18 years for a jeweler in Chesterfield before heading out on his own. The Mount Clemens store will soon be known as Aventi Jewelers, with Aventi being a mix of his two names.

Nevin started with M.L. Green Jewelers in Mount Clemens. When the owners decided to close, he teamed up with another employee, Ruth Thomas, and the two formed a new store titled Thomas Nevin Jewelers. The business had two previous locations before the current one.

Noting the city’s revitalization project that recently started on Macomb Place, Nevin said the downtown is “just going to rock” when the construction program concludes.

“They energy is coming back,” he said.

After his surgery, Nevin said he will return to the jewelry store to lend a helping hand to the new owner in “any capacity.”

“Anthony couldn’t be in a better place at a better time,” Nevin said. “I’ve been so fortunate to have met a lot of friends and family in this shop. I will definitely miss them.”