NEENAH — AE Jewelers has opened a store 971 S. Green Bay Road, just south of the Winneconne exit.

The new jewelry store has a soaring 19-foot ceiling, dramatic curved staircase and a considerable amount of natural light.

AE Jewelers is owned by Rich and Corrine Meyer, Neenah residents who have been in the jewelry business in Oshkosh for 15 years. Their son, Quintin, is joining them in the family venture.

Rick Sawotka is the store's in-house goldsmith.

Jim DeGroot, previously with Avenue Jewelers, joined the company as general manager of the new shop and the Oshkosh store.

The business stands out because it's state of the art, with CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing) technology to show customers custom jewelry designs as they're created. A new laser engraver can engrave just about any surface.

"We're a family owned jewelry store that brings all this to the table," said Rich Meyer.

The shop is licensed to purchase gold, so customers can go the full circle of buying, selling, fixing or creating jewelry here.

The economy did not hinder their plans to create the new Neenah headquarters. Based on their successful track record, they were able to get bank loans to purchase land, the building, equipment and the sparkly inventory. It's an investment of about $2 million.

"There are two mindsets. People who are still doing business and those gloom and doomers who are in survival mode," said Rich Meyer. "We decided not to participate in the recession."

"Our sales are up 8 to 10 percent compared to last year," Corrine Meyer said.

The sentimental value of jewelry, plus the fact that they have a range of prices to serve a variety of customers, is part of their appeal, she said. "If you want to spend $100 or $100,000 we can take care of you."

The store's phone number is 920-967-2175