"On April 3rd 2020, this country lost a great American, my father, Irwin Korwin.. Sadly, my dad was better known as “Radar Irv” for his top secret role with radar in WWI.) He passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 99 ½ in Paradise Valley, Arizona. He was a fabulous great grandfather, grandfather, father, father in law, uncle, husband, teacher, mentor, diamond setter, jeweler, businessman, colleague, philanthropist, gemologist, numismatist and inventor. He travelled the world in search of rare & beautiful places and knew how to take time to enjoy living. He’s credited with pioneering, developing & building the largest and finest line of coin jewelry available anywhere and left an indelible mark on the Global Jewelry market.Our family appreciates all that each of you have done in the past that added color and meaning to his life. Each of you in your own way were special to him. He will be missed."
Irving was the son of eastern European immigrants who arrived in the United States by ship through Ellis Island. Born August 18, 1920 in New York City, Irving Korwin was raised during the Great Depression and entered World War II as an enlisted soldier right after he heard the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
He served with top-secret clearance, training pilots and military VIPs at a discreet Army Air Force base in Florida in the use of RADAR and RADAR countermeasures. The project was so hush-hush at the time that the word RADAR couldn’t be mentioned publicly. In both European and Pacific theaters, RADAR was credited and served a pivotal role in the success of allied forces. It allowed us to see the enemy over the horizon, a view they didn’t even know we had. In 2017 he wrote his autobiography enumerating in his own words what life was like through the decades. It’s a first-hand story of a 99-year-old survivor of that piece of history, his world travels, the jewelry business he built and the personal reminiscences he managed to capture in this, his first book.
In 1951 he started Wideband Coin Jewelry in New York City a company known for designing unusual and creative charms of which some incorporated coins for stores like Bergdorf Goodman in New York and B.C. Clark in Oklahoma City. By the early 60’s he realized that there was an opportunity to specialize in fine jewelry for gold coins and embarked on a journey that made him internationally known for his specialty with a crew of more than 110 employees. Along this journey with his son Richard they created jewelry for many of American’s rich, powerful and famous. Among they were Elvis Presley, President Dwight Eisenhower, The Smithsonian Institute, Prince Phillipe, Ben Crenshaw and many others.
He was among the first jewelers in America to be involved with the American Gem Society as early as 1938, was a graduate of the GIA in 1956, AGS supplier member in 1977 and Life member of the American Numismatic Association in 1986. He was also a 40-year member of the 24 Karat Club of New York City and their oldest member at the time of his passing.
He believed that honesty, integrity, ethics, passion, education and knowledge were cornerstones to a successful career and life.
If you are interested in purchasing his book, the profit goes to the USO. Anyone wishing to express condolences or obtain a copy of Korwin’s book, can contact Alan at [email protected].
[Pictured: Irving & Richard Korwin at 24K Banquet 1999]
