Harvey Rovinsky, Former Owner of Bernie Robbins Jewelers, Dies at 77

Harvey Rovinsky, former president and owner of Bernie Robbins Jewelers, died at age 77 on Jan. 28 following a cardiac event, according to his obituary.

The Philadelphia native was described as “a beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, incredible friend and a respected leader in the luxury jewelry industry.”

Rovinsky drew attention in 2023 when he announced that he was retiring and giving the business to a group of employees. He and his wife, Madalyn Rovinsky, had run the business for 57 years.

“There are no words to describe how much Harvey will be missed and what he meant to all of us,” says Sandra Moran, partner and co-chair.

“Harvey was a friend and mentor who changed my life forever,” says Stephen Berman, managing partner.

When Harvey Rovinsky began delivering refrigerators for his future father-in-law in the 1960s, he may not have been able to imagine that the company — Bernie Robbins of Philadelphia — would one day sell Rolex and Hearts On Fire to a well-heeled summer crowd on the Jersey Shore.

Still, the young Harvey carried a strong jewelry tradition within him. Descended from a European bench jeweler grandfather, he had worked for his own watchmaker father since he was 10 years old.

In 1962, Bernie Rosenberg and his wife, Lorraine, had opened the appliance store and quickly built a reputation for treating clients like family. After their daughter “Maddy” began dating Harvey in high school, Bernie hired him to deliver refrigerators and install air conditioners.

The leap to jewelry for the Rosenbergs wasn’t completely out of left field. At that time, Timex watches were sold by appliance distributors. “I learned quickly that Timex watches were a lot easier to deliver than refrigerators,” jokes Rovinsky.

By 1969, Harvey and Maddy had married and introduced a small case of jewels to the store’s inventory. Jewelry began selling better than appliances and over the next decade took center stage, phasing out appliances altogether. It was a natural transition.

Harvey began to oversee branches of the business, including the Somers Point, NJ, store, which opened in 1982, and which became the company headquarters. By the early 1990s, Rovinsky had taken over operations, acquired prestigious brands including Rolex, and solidified the company’s position as a luxury brand. Together, Harvey and Maddy built one of the finest reputations in American luxury jewelry, expanding their business across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“Nobody needs jewelry,” Rovinsky said in 2010. “We have to make it so they have a good time wearing it and buying it. People have to walk out feeling better than when they walked in.”

Maddy Rovinsky taught special education for the visually impaired for 30 years, while also helping the Bernie Robbins stores during the holidays as a sales consultant. As her role grew in the jewelry business, she worked two full-time jobs for years. When she went to work exclusively at Bernie Robbins, she served on the company’s executive committee, drove buying decisions and managed sales and merchandising.

Bernie Robbins’ locations were innovators in store design and function over the years, becoming early adopters of such features as children’s play areas, coffee bars and shop-in-shops for brands. They also recognized the importance of investing in marketing with a strong in-house team and became known for hosting trunk shows, out-of-the-box events like a yoga fest and personal appearances by jewelry designers, including Roberto Coin, Stephen Webster and Penny Preville, who were rising stars at the time.

“We happen to be a marketing company that sells jewelry,” Rovinsky said.

Harvey and Maddy were also known for their extraordinary philanthropy, according to the obituary. Their work and support for organizations including Chabad at the Shore, the Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University, the Friends of the Israeli Defense Force, The Albert Einstein Society at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Harvey served on the Executive Board of the Holocaust Resource Center.

The staff has a tradition of volunteering time, serving on committees and as board members in organizations throughout their communities.

In 2023 Rovinsky announced that he was retiring and giving the business to a group of employees debt-free, ensuring the continuation of the legacy of Bernie and Lorraine Rosenberg and its family-like atmosphere.

The management team was chosen to carry the torch as five equal partners and assume ownership of Bernie Robbins stores in Newtown, PA, and Somers Pointe, NJ.

Without a family succession plan, the couple had considered selling the business. “But eventually, we said, ‘You know, this has been right in front of our faces all this time. Instead of trying to find a qualified buyer, why not give it to people that are successfully running it now?’” Harvey Rovinsky told Fox Business.

He later expressed his joy that the plan had come to fruition.  “This is like a third generation taking over. Because even though they’re not family, they’re family.”

The handover was completed in March 2024. Rovinsky stayed on as a consultant until Jan. 1, 2025, when he announced he would truly retire. Even after that, “he still came in twice a week,” co-owner and sales manager Gennifer Flaxman told JCK Magazine. “He said he was done, but he wasn’t done. If one of us was working on a large sale, he still called us to say, ‘How’d that sale go?’”

Harvey Rovinsky also proved he had a great sense of humor when he appeared in INSTORE’s Last Laugh section in 2011 to share the following joke: “It was the day of the big sale. Rumors of the sale and an advertisement in the local paper were the main reasons for the long line that formed in front of the store by 8:30, the store’s opening time. A small man pushed his way to the front of the line, only to be pushed back amid loud and colorful curses. On the man’s second attempt, he was punched square in the jaw and knocked around a bit, then thrown to the end of the line again. As he got up the second time, he said to the person at the end of the line: “That does it! If they hit me one more time, I don’t open the store!”

Rovinsky is survived by Maddy, his wife of 55 years; daughter Julia; and two grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions in his memory may be made to Chabad at the Shore, the Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University, or Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.

Funeral arrangements can be seen here.