1920 to 1948
Ben Hurwitz, who was a clockmaker in his native Russia, immigrated to the U.S. in 1920 where he opened a jewelry store in Westminster, MD. By 1948, Ben’s son, Will, and daughter-in-law, Marilyn, opened a second location on North Market Street in downtown Frederick. Will and Marilyn thought Frederick would be a great place to raise a family, and Will foresaw a demand in Frederick for the services Colonial Jewelers could provide. In those days, in the jewelry business, everything was transacted by a handshake, even expensive transactions.
Ben Hurwitz
North Market Street in downtown Frederick
Will and Marilyn Hurwitz
Jeff and Patty Hurwitz1973 to 1998
In 1973, Will and Marilyn’s son, Jeff Hurwitz, entered the business with his wife, Patty. During his time in leadership of Colonial Jewelers -Jeff grew the business from the small Mom and Pop store that Will and Marilyn had started in Frederick to a premier jewelry destination. In 1998, with tremendous growth in selection and staff, they moved the business to 1 South Market Street, where it stands today.
Jeff, Patty, and Sarah Hurwitz2004 to 2023
Jeff and Patty’s daughter, Sarah Hurwitz Robey joined the business full time after college in 2004 and worked her way through all of the roles in the store to become the store’s current President in 2023. Sarah and Jeff both earned their Graduate Gemologist degrees from the Gemological Institute of America and they use this expertise to hand select all Diamonds and jewelry to meet Colonial Jewelers high standards of quality and value.
2022 and beyond
In 2022 Colonial Jewelers expanded the already robust Master Goldsmith shop to offer in- house Computer Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printing for the custom design department. Sarah’s husband, Chris Robey, stepped into the new role of Jewelry Designer after years of fine art and bench jeweler experience. Sarah and Chris continue to run the store with the same level of professionalism, expertise and customer service that her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents before had valued.
Colonial Jewelers celebrated 75 years in Downtown Frederick in 2023 which was a monumental milestone for the company- the oldest business in Downtown Frederick. The event was celebrated at the historic Weinberg Theater and documented with a video of the company’s rich history.
Today
The Colonial Jewelers of 1948 sold a variety of items, from jewelry and giftware to televisions and home appliances. Today, their inventory is exclusively fine jewelry and watches, and they are recognized as the area’s largest single source for diamonds, engagement rings, wedding bands and other fine jewelry. They continue to offer jewelry and watch repair, as they did back in the day, and they sell custom-made jewelry to meet all needs.
Despite humble beginnings, when the store had very little merchandise and a cigar box served as a cash register, nothing has changed when it comes to the business staff’s ethics and mission. As a fourth-generation family business, Colonial Jewelers prides itself on being founded on trust and integrity, principles which continue today.
“These are the values that have been passed down through the generations,” says Patty Hurwitz. “We always operate according to the golden rule and sell quality jewelry at fair prices. That’s how Will and Marilyn ran their business and how Sarah believes in doing business today and in the future.”
Another thing that hasn’t changed? The owners’ love of Frederick and the local community. “It’s rewarding to see customers whose grandparents shopped in our store many years ago,” Jeff says. “I have truly been blessed to have the opportunity to continue our family’s tradition at Colonial Jewelers, even more so to get to learn from my parents by working side by side with them,” Sarah adds. “A multigenerational family business is rare these days, so that gives me constant motivation to keep the values consistent while growing and changing with the times. We are so lucky to have a staff that embodies these values and works hard to deliver the highest level of knowledge and service to our customers.”
We value your privacy
On our website, we use services (including from third-party providers) that help us to improve our online presence. The following categories of cookies are used by us and can be managed in the cookie settings. We need your consent before being able to use these services. Alternatively, you may click to refuse to consent, or access more detailed information and change your preferences before consenting. Your preferences will apply to this website only. You can change your preferences at any time by clearing your browser history/cache or visiting our privacy policy page.
By authorizing third-party services, you allow the placement and the reading of cookies and the use of tracking technologies required to keep our website reliable and secure.
