The highlight of a single-owner jewelry and watch collection, it’s estimated to fetch up to $7 million at auction this December.
Harvey Rovinsky, Longtime Owner of Bernie Robbins Jewelers, Dies at 77
Rovinsky is remembered as a great mentor who made the employees of his stores feel like family.

He was 77.
Born March 8, 1947, the Philadelphia native started working in his father’s watchmaking business when he was a child.
In 1966, Rovinsky was hired by a man named Bernie Rosenberg (better known as Bernie Robbins) who owned an appliance store in downtown Philadelphia that sold a little bit of jewelry.
Rosenberg was looking to change his business and brought a then 19-year-old Rovinsky on board to help with the transition.
A few years later, Rovinsky became family when he married Rosenberg’s daughter, Madalyn.
Over time, Harvey and Maddy Rovinsky turned what was once an appliance store that sold Timex watches into a luxury jeweler that carried brands like Rolex, Cartier, and David Yurman, and had as many as nine stores across New Jersey and Pennsylvania at one point.
Longtime store employee Steve Jaffe said Harvey could be tough but always was fair.
He said Harvey looked for the best in everyone, and he and Maddy made the employees of Bernie Robbins Jewelry feel like family.
“They don’t make people like this anymore,” Jaffe said.
In 2022, Harvey and Maddy were inducted into National Jeweler’s Retailer Hall of Fame in the Multi-Store Independent category. At the time, there were four Bernie Robbins Jewelers stores.
They retired in 2024 and gave the business, debt-free, to five longtime employees.
Today, Bernie Robbins Jewelers has two locations, one in Somers Point, New Jersey, and the other in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Jaffe is one of the five employees who is now a co-owner of the business.
Speaking behalf of all five partners, he said, “There is a not a finer mentor, teacher, businessperson, friend and, just simply, great person than Harvey Rovinsky. He will be sorely missed.”
Outside of work, Harvey and Maddy supported Chabad at the Shore, the Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University, Friends of the Israeli Defense Force, The Albert Einstein Society at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital, and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
He served on the executive board of the Holocaust Resource Center.
Harvey is survived by his wife of 56 years, Madalyn; daughter Julia Rovinsky Rosenzweig (Adam Rosenzweig); granddaughters Sophia and Emma; sister-in-law Susan Stupine; and nieces and nephews Erika (Seth Yablonovitz), Jeffrey Stupine (Farah), Bailey and Jay Yablonovitz, and Lilly Stupine.
Services are scheduled to take place 2 p.m. Sunday at Joseph Levine & Sons Memorial Chapel, 4737 E. Street Road, Trevose, Pennsylvania.
For those unable to attend in person, the services will be livestreamed via the J.S. Goldstein Funeral Home website.
Burial will be private.
Contributions in Harvey’s memory may be made to Chabad at the Shore, the Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University, the Friends of the Israeli Defense Force, or to the Albert Einstein Society at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital.
The Latest

CEO Efraim Grinberg noted a resurgence in the fashion watch market.

The “Bullseye” necklace, with vintage bakelite and peridot, August’s birthstone, is the perfect transitional piece as summer turns to fall.

Jewelers of America is leading the charge to protect the industry amidst rising economic threats.

Sponsored by Clientbook


It will classify lab-grown stones into one of two categories, “premium” or “standard,” in lieu of giving specific color and clarity grades.

President Duma Boko addressed the country’s medical supply chain crisis in a recent televised address.

As a leading global jewelry supplier, Rio Grande is rapidly expanding and developing new solutions to meet the needs of jewelers worldwide.

Former Free People buyer Afton Robertson-Kanne recently joined the retailer.

The singer’s new bling, reportedly a natural old mine-cut diamond, is no paper ring.

Dubbed the “Imboo,” or “buffalo,” emerald, the rough gemstone is part of Gemfields’ latest emerald auction, which is taking place now.

Plans for dining out, booking vacations, and buying big-ticket items were down.

The “Play” collection centers on nostalgic toys that have kinetic elements to carry playfulness and wonder into adulthood.

Designer Christina Puchi, the creative force behind CCWW Designs, has created charms and pendants based on iconic candies and crackers.

The Jonas Brothers star showed off new timepieces against the backdrop of his favorite spots in his home state of New Jersey.

In his latest column, Emmanuel Raheb shares tips for encouraging customers to treat themselves to new jewelry.

The new stand-alone Rolex boutique is housed in the former Odd Fellows Hall, a landmark built in 1897.

The Brilliant Earth ambassador co-designed a diamond medallion featuring meaningful symbols.

Wrap jewelry is more than just a trend; it’s the perfect motif for the coming season of layering, scarves, and pumpkin spice.

The three-day watch collector show, coming this October, will feature 44 exhibiting brands, as well as a new dinner experience.

Sriram “Ram” Natarajan is now GIA’s senior vice president of laboratory operations and is based out of the lab’s headquarters in Carlsbad.

The one-of-a-kind collar represents the beauty of imperfection and the strength to rebuild.

Three C-suite executives, including former CEO Tom Nolan, have resigned as part of what the company describes as a “transition.”

The retailer, which recently filed Chapter 11, inked a deal to sell its North American business and intellectual property.

Target CEO Brian Cornell will step down in February and be replaced by the company’s chief operating officer, Michael Fiddelke.

The group met with the president's senior trade advisor earlier this week to express the industry’s concerns about the effects of tariffs.

The pop-up will display this year's Tiffany & Co. Singles Championship trophies along with a diamond-encrusted tennis racket and ball.