JAR

The Jewels of JAR Paris, Somerset House, London 2002-2003

JAR Paris, London, 2002, plate 286 for an illustration of this clip-brooch.

JAR has brought forth a technicolor dreamscape, where serpents and zebras weave through psychedelic butterflies and beetle-wing chandeliers, all to the rhythm of a crashing Hokusai wave. His flowers range from the transmogrified to astoundingly realistic (but better). Is it blasphemous to suggest he improves upon nature? Here we find three wild roses in shades of blue, yellow and pink. Like much in his repertoire, they have precedents in 19^th-century jewelry: for example, the set of three roses commissioned from Bapst in the 1860s from Empress Eugenie for the French Crown Jewels. Such sets often formed part of a tiara or necklace and could be worn in any number of configurations. Here, JAR reinterprets this classic motif with his trademark exuberance and a painterly application of gemstones, each flowerhead revealing subtle shifts in color and tone across unfurled petals.

Location courtesy of M. Olivier Baroin, Image #5.

JAR

‘These three, beauty, art and luxury are inseparable from happiness.’ - Joel Arthur Rosenthal

Joel Arthur Rosenthal (born 1943) is undeniably the most influential jewelry designer of our time. With his infallible eye for beauty, he has created a body of work that has inspired many to emulate his style and techniques, fundamentally changing our understanding of what jewelry can be.

Rosenthal, who initially aspired to become a painter, studied art history and philosophy at Harvard University. After graduation, he moved to Paris in 1966 where he worked as a screenwriter and needlepoint artist. His skill with the latter was such that Hermès commissioned him to design a pair of needlepoint slippers, but he quickly shifted his focus to jewelry design. After working briefly for Bulgari in New York, he returned to Paris where, in 1977, he founded his eponymous atelier ‘JAR’ with his partner, the Swiss-born Pierre Jeannet. From the start, JAR realized the importance of remaining exclusive: his store just off the Place Vendôme has no shop windows to attract customers—there is no need—and entrance is by invitation only, reserved for those who understand and share his philosophy of beauty.

JAR’s work has been the subject of two highly acclaimed solo exhibitions, the first at Somerset House in London in 2002 which featured several jewels from this extraordinary private collection. The dimly lit galleries required flashlights to view the jewels, fostering a sense of discovery and eliciting a feeling of reverence. The second exhibition was held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013, making Rosenthal the only living jeweler to receive a retrospective at the legendary institution.   

Several themes thread through JAR’s oeuvre. First and foremost, his use of color, often through the use of gemstones beyond the traditional big four. Secondly, his meticulous pavé and micro-pavé settings that often lends his jewels a painterly quality. His use of oxidized silver on gold, natural pearls and single-cut diamonds hark back to antique examples while his exploration of heat-patinated titanium and aluminum was nothing short of revolutionary. Other recurring themes include mismatched earrings, quatrefoils and exuberant—sometimes fantastical—representations of nature. All of these key elements are represented throughout this exquisite collection, each jewel a modern masterpiece.