Modesty and Humility

The David Harvey Jewelers story starts out during a time when a jeweler offered its customers far more than just jewelry. During the early 1920s, jewelers sold dinnerware, wrenches and just about anything one might need around the house. Fred Roseman spent his early years managing stores of this kind, crafting his skills so that he would eventually open his very own jewelry store. Like every great entrepreneur, learning how to please his customers was his passion. In the early 1940s, Fred and Anna Roseman purchased Gleason Jewelers, in Bridgeport, CT, embarking their family on its path of ownership to the David Harvey Jewelers of today.

Our First Location, Gleason Jewelers

Harvey Roseman, Fred and Anna’s son, was drafted by the US Army during WWII, but after the war he was drafted again by his father to join the family business. Gleason Jewelers, now a second generation family business, quickly fostered new relationships with the community and treated its clientele as friends. The family’s goal was to demystify the elements of gemology and support their slogan, “if you don’t know your jewelry, know your jeweler”.  Located in the thriving downtown Bridgeport shopping district, Gleason Jewelers grew its reputation by selling quality diamonds and fashionable jewelry.     

Our Move to Norwalk

The Roseman family was on the move to Norwalk in 1963, where they found a perfect fit in David Pinkas Jewelers. After serving the area since 1914, David and Bea Pinkas were looking to sell their business.  Although Harvey and Renee purchased the store from David and Bea Pinkas, Harvey chose to respect the Pinkas family by retaining a portion of the David Pinkas name while introducing his name as its new owner; thus David Harvey Jewelers was born.

Steadfast commitment to quality, courtesy and service was self-evident by the joy & loyalty expressed by their customers.  As a demonstration of confidence in the Rosemans, Bea Pinkas stayed on with the firm to introduce the family to the Pinkas’ longtime clients. During the next decade, the store experienced huge growth, and new brands were brought to our Norwalk location including watches by Rolex, Omega and Bulova.  In addition, an extensive second floor gift gallery was designed by Renee Roseman, which included offerings by Waterford, Lenox and nearly every popular sterling silver line.  Brides from all over the region registered at David Harvey and coveted our custom design blue foil boxes that were iconic at nearly every bridal shower.

A New Generation

In 1980, Harvey and Renee’s youngest son joined the firm after completing his formal education. Certainly this was not a surprise to anyone since Jeff had been a regular member of the staff since the age of 8. Jeff fondly remembers learning his birthstones before the age of ten so that he could assist customers with their purchases.  Like any young entrepreneur, it was his passion to innovate and expand his family’s business.  In 1991, David Harvey Jewelers purchased their building in Norwalk and doubled its size to its present 5000 sq. ft. showroom.  This enabled a grander opportunity to expand its bridal department, engagement and wedding bands, and of course the world’s most treasured fashion jewelry.  Buying the newest and most unique fashions meant traveling to jewelry shows with a mission to find exclusive fashions fit for each and every customer.  

Onto a Fourth Generation

Jeff’s eldest son Ben was cut from the same cloth.  Technology came early to David Harvey Jewelers, through Ben’s ingenuity. At the age of 13, when most stores were barely managing their inventory on paper, Ben introduced a point-of-sale terminal and personally managed it during the store’s peak season holiday business. In 2005, after Ben and his wife Kayli graduated college, they joined the firm as Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, respectively.  

A Second Location

In 2007, with great excitement and a lot of planning, Ben, Kayli and Jeff announced their plans to open a second location in Darien, CT. The store would be built from the ground up offering distinctly unique brands while maintaining the business model that has sustained David Harvey since 1914. In August of 2008, David Harvey Fine Jewelers opened its doors to a new market and quickly acclimated to their new home. A second location extended the stores’ market well beyond the Connecticut borders and with a state-of-the-art web site, David Harvey went global.  

As the family looks back at four generations of heritage, they see that holding to a commitment to quality regardless of good times or bad, treating their customers as family, and continually innovating to bring the best to their clientele, the David Harvey brand has become synonymous with generational dependability.