John Benjamin served his apprenticeship at Cameo Corner, the Bloomsbury antique jewelers. In 1976, he joined Phillips Fine Art Auctioneers as a junior cataloguer, ultimately becoming international director responsible for the auctions taking place in London, Geneva and New York. John is now an independent jewelry advisor, valuer and lecturer specializing in the Renaissance, 18th- and 19th-century periods. He is a fellow of the Gemmological Association and a freeman of the Goldsmiths Company.