MJ Lifestylist: A Replacement JAR

I have long admired (from afar) the jewelry of JAR. J A R - the initials of one Bronx-born, Harvard educated, Parisian transplant, Joel Arthur Rosenthal . An artist so exclusive and elusive that he is simply known by his initals. If you are unfamiliar with his work, you probably recognize it in the thousands of knock-offs his pieces have "inspired."

Forget that his Place Vendôme shop has never had a single jewel in the window, is open only by appointment and that it could take upwards of a year to attain so much as that. Forget that the man has never advertised or sent out a press release, never had any formal jewelry training and does no bench work. He is the most sought after designer in the luxury jewelry world by mastering the art of creating demand through exclusivity. How much do his pieces go for, you ask? Well, you know the old saying, "If you have to ask..." so don't.

Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to own a copy of his tome, JAR Paris. It was published based on a London retrospective of his work and I proudly displayed the book on my coffee-table for all to admire and enjoy. One evening, as I hosted a birthday dinner for one of my dear girlfriends, being the ~~absent minded~~ BRILLIANTLY GENEROUS person that I am, and realizing that I did not have a present for her, I casually put it in her hands at the end of a wine-filled night as she could not stop salivating over the images on every page.

Well, I had every intention of replacing it right away, but life has a way of spending $250 on many other necessities before finally getting around to a coffee table book - even a JAR coffee table book.

Anyhow, a few years go by and I have, in fact, forgotten about said book until I come across a copy on Ebay. BUY IT NOW - $4,500.00. WHAT!!! Surely this is a mistake. I start to panic. No, I start to feel sick. I know this is no mistake and that I will probably never own a piece of JAR ever again (sob sob).
To be continued...

In the meantime, have a look-see.