Bonhams Appoints Jean Ghika as Global Director Of Its Growing Fine Jewellery Department

The international auction house Bonhams announced Jean Ghika as its newly appointed Global Head of Jewellery.

As part of her new role, Jean Ghika will oversee sales in Bonhams global offices in London, New York, Hong Kong and Los Angeles.

Jean has had 25 years of experience working at Bonhams and is recognised as one of the world’s leading jewellery experts. She was appointed Director of Jewellery for UK & Europe in 2007. Under Jean Ghika’s leadership, Bonhams has been UK market leader for seven of the past nine years.

Matthew Girling, Global CEO and former Global Director of Jewellery at Bonhams, said: “I have worked with Jean for more than 21 years and I am delighted to hand over this global role to her. She has demonstrated excellent business acumen in her current role and has been instrumental in giving strategic direction to the UK and European Fine Jewellery teams.”

Matthew Girling will remain closely involved with the jewellery department and will now assume a ‘chairman emeritus’ role for Fine Jewellery. He will also continue to take key jewellery auctions in London, New York and Hong Kong.

Jean Ghika said: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to take on this role. All four selling locations in London, New York, Hong Kong and LA have established themselves with our clients and we have created a distinct identity in the marketplace, characterised by our personal approach and client service. I look forward to continuing this approach and developing the global offering, working in partnership with talented colleagues throughout the Bonhams UK and European network and also in the US with Susan Abeles and Asia with Graeme Thompson and their teams."

During her career to date, Jean Ghika has been responsible for:

•     The sale of a fancy vivid blue diamond ring by Bulgari that sold for £1.8 million in 2011, the most valuable jewel sold at auction in the UK that year.
•     The only sale dedicated solely to the work of pioneering British jewellery designer Andrew Grima in 2006.
•     Directing the sale of the 5.30 carat fancy deep blue diamond which sold for £6.2 million in 2013, the current world record price per carat for a fancy deep blue diamond sold at auction.
•     The sale of ‘The Hope Spinel’, an exceptional 50 carat gemstone previously in the collection of Henry Philip Hope, which sold in September 2015 for £962,500, the current world record price for a spinel.
•     The sale of a fancy intense blue diamond from a British private collection which sold for £2.32m in September 2016.
•     The sale of a fancy intense blue diamond from a British private collection which sold for £2.68m in September 2017.

Bonhams sells more jewellery lots each year than any other international house and has more dedicated jewellery auctions annually.