COMPANY CULTURE
At Freeman’s | Hindman we believe that people are enriched and energized when they are surrounded with objects of significance and meaning. Freeman’s | Hindman is one of the leading and fastest growing fine art auction houses in the U.S. Our values are evident in how we approach the marketplace, providing unmatched service, a focus on excellence, and holding the utmost respect for our clients and the items we steward. As a globally recognized brand, we conduct over 100 auctions each year for everything from contemporary paintings and fine jewelry to French furniture and rare books. With salerooms and business offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, DC, Denver, Detroit, Milwaukee, Naples, New York, Palm Beach, Philadelphia, San Diego, Scottsdale and St. Louis we stay locally relevant while passionately catering to our global sellers and buyers.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Specialist will grow Freeman's|Hindman business in Jewelry and Watches by building long-term client relationships with private collectors, institutions, and industry contracts, and acting as an expert on the jewelry and watch market.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Proactively develop new opportunities to grow and maintain the volume of transactions with private collectors
- Travel to regional offices, with a particular focus on the Midwest and West, to support business development efforts, and to evaluate and accept consignments for upcoming sales
- With the primary goal and focus of business getting, responsible for gem identification and evaluation, researching authenticity, provenance and historic context of jewelry design to determine sale potential
- Research and catalogue property for auction with the goal of assigning auction estimates
- Work closely with, and foster the growth of, the junior staff in Chicago, including the cataloguers.
- Work with other Jewelry and Watch Specialists to promote the auction by assisting clients at auction previews, speaking to clients about the property, developing, tracking, and communicating client interest and executing bids at auction.
- Act as a point of contact for client inquiries regarding valuation for auction, consignments, and pre auction condition reports.
- Collaborate with other departments to develop strategies to reach new potential consignors and ensure seamless client service
- Other duties as assigned
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
- Graduate Gemologist degree with a minimum of 8 years of experience in the Jewelry Industry; experience with diamonds, colored stones, signed jewelry
- 3-5 years of appraisal experience
- Direct hands-on experience with current market pricing of jewelry
- Auction house experience strongly desired
- Working knowledge of contemporary, antique, and vintage jewelry
- Strong sense of professionalism; excellent communication, client service and interpersonal skills
- Proven ability to initiate new business
- Ability to travel
SKILLS
- Excellent client service, communication and administrative skills
- Attention to detail and process oriented
- Proficient in MS Office software; Outlook, Word, Excel
- Exceptional customer service skills
VALUES:
- Excellence: Setting the standard in auction and appraisal services through expertise and meticulous attention to Detail
- Integrity: Upholding honesty and transparency in all interactions with clients, partners and colleagues.
- Judgment: Incorporating experience, empathy, and integrity to always deliver client centric decisions and actions that uphold our brand.
- Collaboration: Working together with our team and clients to achieve shared goals and exceed expectations.
- Responsiveness: Delivering timely and tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of every client.