Joel A. Rosenthal, the Bronx native who rose to prominence as the Paris-based jeweler JAR, can be quite retiring, and so too can his clients. Only a handful of those who loaned pieces to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition Jewels by JAR (November 2013 to March 2014) elected to identify themselves by name. Many of the 400-plus creations in the groundbreaking show—the first that the Met dedicated to a contemporary artist in gems—came by way of private collections. Chances are that among those who participated was the Canadian-born businesswoman and philanthropist Marie-Josée Kravis.
She and her husband, Henry, are reportedly clients of JAR’s, and they were among those credited with making the Met’s exhibit possible. The couple attended a preshow dinner for donors at the New York museum’s famous Temple of Dendur display. Whether or not Kravis shared the contents of her personal jewelry box for the exhibit may remain a secret, but one thing is clear: She helped bring to life one of the most exhilarating museum shows of jewelry in decades.
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