NEW YORK, NY.- Leading international auction house Bonhams has announced four new appointments within its global jewellery department.

The hires are the result of Bonhams continued business success in Fine Jewellery and part of the company’s strategic plan to further strengthen its business in London, New York, Hong Kong and Geneva.

Matthew Girling, Joint Global CEO and Global Head of Jewellery, comments: “I am delighted to further enhance our experienced team of jewellery experts across the world. Each of these new specialists will play a critical role in our global jewellery offering as we continue to build a world-class jewellery team focused on delivering an unparalleled customer experience to our clients new and old.”

The appointments are as follows:

Two new appointments in the US
Dana L. Ehrman, Graduate Gemologist, joins Bonhams as Director of Fine Jewellery in LA and will be based in Bonhams’ Los Angeles office.

Dana grew up in a family jewellery business and has over 30 years’ experience in fine jewellery. She has an in-depth knowledge across all aspects of the jewellery business from buying and selling, manufacturing and designing, right through to wholesale and retail.

After working in Washington DC and California for a number of years, she realised that she found her true passion when she started her auction career in 1995 at Butterfield & Butterfield. She then went on to gain further retail fine jewellery experience at Frances Klein in Beverly Hills, and managing Fred Leighton in Las Vegas, before returning to Butterfield & Butterfield in 2002.

Following a career break to start a family, Dana has returned to Bonhams as its new Director of Fine Jewellery for LA. She is responsible for acquiring property, appraising all levels of jewellery and works closely with the jewellery teams in New York, San Francisco, London and Hong Kong in order to promote, support and develop existing and emerging auctions.

During her career to date, Dana has been the lead specialist on a single-owner sale of important antique jewellery totaling over $6.2 million dollars, as well as cultivating rare signed pieces from private collections from fine design houses such as Louis Comfort Tiffany, Cartier, Boivin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, and Boucheron.

Caroline Bostock is a Senior Specialist in the Jewellery Department in the US and is based in Bonhams US headquarters in New York.

With over 15 years’ experience in the diamond and jewellery trade, Caroline started her career in the heart of the world’s diamond trading centre, Antwerp, Belgium. Unable to resist the draw of New York, Caroline joined a diamond and jewellery company as Director of Sales and Marketing before moving to another, four years later. In 2010 Caroline moved to work in a senior capacity at one of the world’s most upscale and prestigious retail jewellers, specialising in the rarest of diamonds and coloured gemstones.

During her career to date, Caroline has been responsible for over $25 million in diamond sales; the sale of a pair of 30ct each Colombian Emerald & diamond earrings, for $6,500,000 and the sale of a pair of 4ct each radiant-shaped diamond, Fancy Intense Pink, VS1 earrings for $4,100,000.

Given Caroline’s clients are based in the US and further afield, she travels extensively to showcase jewellery in forthcoming sales as well as assessing items for potential future auctions.

Enhanced presence in Europe
Claire-Laurence Mestrallet, Graduate Gemologist, is joining Bonhams as Specialist within the international jewellery team based in Geneva.

Claire-Laurence will be responsible for showcasing jewellery in Bonhams’ forthcoming sales, as well as assessing items for potential future auctions in France, Germany and Austria. She has a particular interest in diamonds, coloured stones and period jewellery.

After graduating from l’EFAP in Paris and NYIT University in New York, Claire-Laurence started her career working in the jewellery department for an auction house in Geneva while studying to be a Graduate Gemologist at the GIA. Two years later, Claire-Laurence then decided to expand her private client network while working with a jewellery and diamond dealer in Geneva for the next four and a half years.

Claire-Laurence has spent six months at Bonhams London headquarters and worked alongside the UK team on its Fine Jewellery sales. She is looking forward to further developing Bonhams presence in Geneva along with Victoria Rey-de Rudder, Director of Jewellery, Bonhams Switzerland.

New Director for Bonhams Asia
Ellen Sin, Graduate Gemologist, joins Bonhams Hong Kong as Director, Jewellery & Jadeite. Ellen started her jewellery career working for an important diamond dealer in Hong Kong who supplied diamonds to the biggest retailers in the world. A few years later, Ellen worked for an auction house in Hong Kong as a jewellery specialist before moving to the south of France in 2000. During her time in France, Ellen travelled extensively building up her network of clients in Europe while working as an independent jewellery consultant. Prior to returning to Hong Kong in 2012, Ellen also worked at Van Cleef & Arpels in Monaco.

Ellen returned to the auction business once back in Hong Kong and further developed her passion and expertise in jadeite. Ellen has been involved in the sale of many valuable jadeite and jewellery, including a jadeite bead necklace sold for HK$106.2 million which marked a new world record at that time. She will report to Graeme Thompson, Head of Jewellery, Bonhams Asia.

Bonhams sells more jewellery than any other auction house and, in 2015, will be conducting over 40 jewellery sales worldwide. Its next Fine Jewellery sales will take place in New York on 15 April 2015, in London on 22 April and in Hong Kong on 3 June 2015.