Quick Steps to Sell Jewelry, Timepieces & Luxury Accessories Collectibles at Auction

Jill Burgum has dedicated the last two decades to the field of jewelry. After graduating from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, with a B.A. in Art History, she attended Bowman Tech and Stewart’s International, both for training in jewelry manufacturing and repair. Her studies then lead to the Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica, California, where she completed degrees in both Graduate Gemology and Jewelry Design in 1994.  

Ms. Burgum began her professional career working for a private jeweler in San Diego, CA. She then moved to San Francisco as a jewelry cataloger for Butterfield & Butterfield Auctions in 1996, transferring to their Los Angeles Jewelry department in 1997 as lead specialist, which she eventually left to build two jewelry websites for start-up companies. She has also worked in retail jewelry sales and owned her own independent jewelry appraisal business. Ms. Burgum is USPAP compliant. She has been a contributor to Art + Auction, Brilliant, Eclat, Maine Antiques Digest, Modern Jeweler, MSN Money, and Rapaport magazines.  

Ms. Burgum has been a guest lecturer for the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, Gem & Mineral Council, the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers, and appeared as a specialist on HGTV, KTLA, CNN, FOX Business, and Antiques Roadshow.

Diane D'Amato is the Director of Luxury Accessories at Heritage. Diane made her name in the Luxury Accessories world following high profile positions working for Hermès of Paris and Louis Vuitton, where her buying trips to Paris were influential in setting market trends in the United States and she oversaw more than $12 million in annual sales. Her specialty is in creating exclusive marketing partnerships and forging loyal client relationships. Diane is based in New York, joining the talent-rich Heritage team stewarding the brand, where she assists consignors and collectors with appraisals as well as supervising the category's double digit growth.

Diane has used her talents to do extensive charitable fund raising,  including sales that have benefited FATE (Foundation for Autism Training & Education), Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Jim Wolf began his horological career in 1980 as an apprentice watchmaker and cataloger for Ashland Investments.  He quickly became a key executive in charge of sales and acquisitions and developed an industry leading catalog series presenting fine antique pocket watches, vintage wristwatches and estate jewelry.  As a dealer and advisor to watch collectors worldwide, Jim has provided expert consultation concerning values, authenticity, and investment potential.  Jim is also highly respected by collectors for his thorough knowledge of the historical, technical and aesthetic aspects of watches.  Mr. Wolf has been a member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors since 1982 and a long-standing consultant to the authors of The Complete Price Guide to Watches.  Jim has written numerous articles for watch and jewelry publications including HR magazine, the NAWCC Bulletin and the Market Resource Guide.  He is also the co-author of The Complete Guide to Antique Jewelry.  

In the late 1970’s Mr. Wolf majored in classical guitar at the State University of New York and went on to a concert career as member of the Buffalo Guitar Quartet with appearances at Carnegie Hall and many major concert venues in the United States and Canada.  In the 1990’s, Jim played second chair cello as a volunteer with the Sarasota Pops Orchestra

Brett O’Connor joined the Dallas office of Heritage Auctions as Senior Director, Private Sales Jewelry and Timepieces after fulfilling a number of executive leadership roles at auction houses around the world. A leading expert in jewelry and timepiece auctions, he will focus on expanding the company’s platform for private sales while working closely with Heritage’s Jewelry and Watches & Timepieces auction directors.

One of the auction world’s leading gemstones experts, his childhood interest in minerals and stones became a career following his studies at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) en route to becoming a Graduate Jeweler Gemologist. Since the mid-1990s, O’Connor has utilized his wealth of knowledge as an appraiser and renowned auctioneer for the world’s top auction houses in the United States, Europe, Asia and in the Middle East.

As Senior Vice President at Bonhams in New York, O’Connor led the North American Jewelry team and helped rebuild the Hong Kong division. Before that, he served as Senior Vice President at Sotheby’s in New York, Hong Kong and Switzerland, providing strategic oversight of property collection and auction operations across multiple locations. As Assistant Vice President at Christie’s in New York, O’Connor executed nearly a dozen auctions per year, overseeing a range of responsibilities including sourcing, valuation, catalog production and serving as a contributing editor to an antiques and collectibles book.

Prior to joining Heritage Auctions as a Consignment Director for Fine Timepieces in our Chicago office, Mike Schmidt caught the vintage watch “bug” as a student in the early 1990s while breaking into the industry in Los Angeles. He worked for over 11 years in sales with Wanna Buy A Watch?, a Melrose Avenue institution dubbed “the horological epicenter of Los Angeles” that specializes in high-grade vintage and collectible timepieces with a focus on Rolex, Tudor, Patek, Cartier, and Omega, as well as a wide variety of vintage diver and chronograph models. His clientele consisted primarily of a mix of upscale international tourists, entertainment industry professionals and A-list celebrities.  

Schmidt’s love affair with timepieces continued during a sales stint with Reis Nichols dealing in fine jewelry, loose diamonds and luxury watch sales. He then worked for over a decade as an independent estate timepiece broker/specialist dealing both in wholesale and internet retail sales of pre-owned and vintage luxury timepieces, before returning to manage Wanna Buy A Watch? for five years.  

In addition to management, sales and customer service, Schmidt has also provided employee training, appraised and purchased estate watches and jewelry, and created web listings on Wanna Buy a Watch’s website, Chrono 24 and 1st Dibs. An active 15-year member of IWJG, he frequently attends their trade shows to stay current on international markets and trends. He holds a MFA from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), which fostered his deep appreciation of the arts and design, as well as earning his Diamonds Degree from GIA.

Prior to joining Heritage Auctions, Ana Wroblaski has been involved in the jewelry business on various levels since 1999. Born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles, she joined John Moran Auctioneers in Pasadena during 2011 to take charge of their growing jewelry department. Previously, Ana spent five years at Bonham’s and Butterfield’s Los Angeles, first starting as assistant to the senior specialist before she was promoted to a specialist, appraising and cataloging jewelry that ranged from antique to modern.

Once Ana got a taste of working with precious metals on her own, she served as an apprentice with a master jeweler in the Downtown Los Angeles Jewelry District. Focusing on minerals and gems, she then went on to fabricate and design jewelry for her own line and others as well. Ana is a Graduate Gemologist, earning her diploma from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), an Accredited Jewelry Professional (AJP) and is constantly continuing her education by attending workshops and seminars to stay abreast of treatments, new mine discoveries and current style trends in the jewelry world.  

Ana has earned and stays current with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), and is currently working on the accreditation curriculum with the American Society of Appraisers (ASA).

A Jewelry Consignment Director in Heritage’s New York office, Vera Prather has always had an abiding love for beautiful things. The native of Moscow earned both a Bachelor’s Degree and Ph.D. in Russian Language from Lomonosov Moscow State University with the goal of teaching it to others. Eventually, her affinity for fine jewelry developed from a hobby into a lifetime commitment once she pursued her passion with part-time work in that area.  

Vera started her jewelry career at Hamilton Jewelers in Princeton, New Jersey selling high-end contemporary designer jewelry and luxury timepieces, which gave her a good understanding of today’s retail market. She also attended numerous trade shows to buy pieces for their top clients. She later joined Fred Leighton in New York, learning about antique and high-end vintage jewelry from the Art Deco period while dealing with exquisite pieces from Susan Belperron, Rene Boivin, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels.  

Vera’s credentials include special training as a Graduate Gemologist, Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and Certified Gemologist Appraiser, AGS; she also is a member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA). Her favorite stones are turquoise and coral, and she loves old diamonds for their warm, hand-cut personalities.

Before joining Heritage as a Jewelry Consignment Director in its Chicago office, Jamie Henderson spent nine years at Leslie Hindman/Hindman Auctions as an account executive, cataloguer and specialist for fine jewelry, timepieces and artisan silver jewelry. Additionally, she worked at Professional Gem Sciences Laboratory laser inscribing diamonds and at the Haifa Faisal Collection of Saudi Arabian Traditional Arts as a cataloguer. 

Jamie’s initial love of jewelry came from her mother, while an affinity for science was inherited from her father, who was an Air Force officer. Living overseas as a child, she experienced influential locales such as the salt mines in Austria; traveling throughout the US, she also visited places such as the petrified forest in Arizona and the diamond mine in Arkansas. These adventures, along with her experiences working at the Haifa Faisal Collection and the diamond lab, made her entry into jewelry auction industry easy and appealing.

Holding a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Jamie is a current GIA student and holds Diamonds and Colored Stone Essentials Certificates. In addition, she is a member of the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA), Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts (ASJRA), and National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC). Her personal collection jewelry collection includes a few hard-to-find silver Tiffany pieces and smaller Edwardian rings, and she is always on the lookout for an amazing silver artisan piece.

Sabrina began her professional education by attending the Gemological Institute of America headquarters in Carlsbad, California to receive her Graduate Gemologist certification.
Prior to joining Heritage, she served as a Production Coordinator with Spectrum Diamond Corporation, where she worked closely with vendors to ensure proper fulfillment of orders, and maintained in-house quality assurance procedures.
Moving on to Chief Operating Officer/Head Gemologist at Remount Innovations, acting as lead buyer in charge of all diamond and luxury jewelry purchases. In addition, as Head Gemologist, she managed all identification of gemstones and grading of diamonds and worked closely with clients to create custom designed pieces. 

Highly skilled in grading, valuing and identification of estate and luxury goods, with a specialty in the research field of origin identification.