Jewels by JAR at the Metropolitan Museum of Art 

Exhibition Dates:       November 20, 2013–March 9, 2014
Exhibition Location:   Lila Acheson Wallace Wing,
The Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Gallery, Gallery 913

Jewels by JAR at The Metropolitan Museum of Art will feature more than 400 works by renowned jewelry designer Joel A. Rosenthal, who works in Paris under the name JAR. The exhibition will be the first retrospective in the United States of his work and the first retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum devoted to a contemporary artist of gems.

Jewels by JAR is organized by the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The organizing curator is Jane Adlin, Associate Curator in the department.

JAR makes jewels that fulfill an aesthetic rather than commercial ambition. A particular skill of the JAR team is selecting stones for their color compatibility, complementary range, or contrast. Rosenthal, who once said, “we are not afraid of any materials,” uses metals as strong as platinum and as lightweight as aluminum as bases for his designs. He reintroduced the use of silver in fine jewelry making and blackened the metal to enhance the color of the stones and the shine of the diamonds. The color and the shading of his pavé technique became a signature, as did the diamond thread work

The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue (hardcover $40), published by the Metropolitan Museum and distributed by Yale University Press. This would be a lovely holiday gift for a jewelry enthusiast (like me) !!!

Also, in conjunction with the exhibition, JAR has designed a unique collection of earrings and watches for the Museum, available exclusively at the exhibition and Mezzanine Gallery shops.

Images courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art