Kathleen Guzman is a recognized appraiser and auctioneer with over thirty years experience in the art and antiques industry. Ms. Guzman is the Managing Director of Heritage Auctions in New York, the third largest auction house based in Dallas. She has personally auctioned over 1,500 sales with over $1 Million objects valued at over $1 Billion US dollars. She brings 15 years experience from the world-renown international auction house Christie’s, selling such items as a Monet watercolor for $4.3 Million and the Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz for $660,000. She was the former President of Christie’s East and President of Phillips Auctioneers, as well as Senior Vice-President of Business Development at Ebay.

Ms. Guzman is frequently quoted in print, radio and has been seen on television regarding the art and antiques market and spokesperson for the art market on such shows as Oprah, Good Morning America, Today, CNN and Sally Jessy Raphael. She appears as an expert on the PBS series “Antiques Roadshow” for the past seventeen years, as on-air host for Good Life TV, host at QVC, and frequent guest for the Treasure channel satellite cable station in, “Treasure Seekers” and Metro TV’s “Antique Show and Sell”. She also has co-starred for the pilot TV show “For What It’s Worth” with Robin Leach and is a contributing editor to the Miller’s Antique Collector’s Books writing articles recently. She was the Director of Hubert Gallery, specializing in Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso for two years, and is professionally, an independent consultant, a USPAP certified art appraiser, writer and charity auctioneer.

She holds an Executive M.B.A. from Columbia University and has a Master’s Degree in Art History from Queen’s College. Ms. Guzman lectures extensively on the art market for the American Appraiser’s Association, New York University, Bard College and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Ms. Guzman also auctions extensively for charitable causes including Make-a-Wish, Juvenile Diabetes and Housing Works to name a few, with noted celebrities. Her present and past clients include Bloomberg, Inc, the Estate of Marilyn Monroe, Barbra Streisand, the estate of Tom Thumb and the artist John Graham.

A graduate of University of Hawaii at Manoa, Ms. Burgum received her B.A. in Art History. After completing her degree, she attended Bowman Tech and Stewart's International, both for training in jewelry manufacturing and repair, then 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 working career as an on-call preview worker for Sotheby's Beverly Hills, California. She then moved to San Francisco as a jewelry cataloguer 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 web sites for start-up companies. She has also worked in retail jewelry sales and owned her own independent jewelry appraisal business.

She has been a contributor to Art + Auction, Brilliant, Eclat, Modern Jeweler, MSN Money, and Rapaport magazines.

Ms. Burgum has been a guest lecturer for the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, Gem & Mineral Council, and appeared as a specialist on HGTV, KTLA, CNN, FOX Business and ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Jessica DuBroc is a graduate of  the University of Texas at Austin (2003). Her early interest in the jewelry business stemmed from her great-grandfather being a diamond cutter and her grandfather owning a wholesale jewelry company. She has worked in wholesale, retail, consignment and auction venues for the past ten years. Jessica is a member of  the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA). She completed her Graduate Gemologist degree through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in 2014.

Michael Fossner is the Consignment Director for Timepieces at Heritage’s New York office. Michael is a Graduate Gemologist, an Accredited Jewelry Professional and the fifth-generation of a family in the watch industry. Growing up, Michael learned the trade in his father’s business, New York’s J & P Timepieces, while attending trade shows with his family. He eventually became the company’s website and sales manager, focusing on ecommerce sales of high-end timepieces. Michael also has degrees in International Business and Marketing from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland in College Park. Following his studies, he served as an apprentice for a major watch dealer in Switzerland. Michael has appeared as an appraiser on the Antiques Roadshow and is on the Board of Trustees of the Horological Society of New York.  

Mr. Shemonsky has worked within the jewelry industry throughout his professional career in retailing, design, manufacturing and the auction business. He holds a B.F.A. from the Philadelphia College of Art a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America.  

Prior to joining Heritage, he ran his own by-appointment appraisal and jewelry business in San Francisco, Ca. He is the former director for the international jewelry buying company CIRCA in San Francisco and Hong Kong. Previously he was the director of the fine jewelry and timepiece department of Bonham's auction house for North America.  

He is the course writer and instructor for the International Society of Appraisers course on Antique and Period Jewelry. In addition, he is a nationally recognized lecturer and writer on antique and period jewelry, and one of the founding board members for the American Society of Jewelry Historians West Coast chapter and has been a featured appraiser with the Antiques Roadshow for the past 16 years.

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.

Gina D’Onofrio, FGA, ASA
Director of Fine Jewelry, Beverly Hills
GinaD@HA.com  

With work in the retail, auction and manufacturing sectors of the jewelry industry since 1989, Gina D’Onofrio’s experience encompasses jewelry design and production, appraisals, buying and selling of contemporary, antique and period jewelry, sales and management.

Prior to joining Heritage, Gina operated an independent gemological laboratory, appraisal service and consulting firm and has been catering to private individuals, banks, trusts, non-profit organizations, insurance companies, legal firms and the jewelry trade in the greater Los Angeles area.

Gina received her Master Gemologist Appraiser® designation, upon completion of appraisal studies, written and practical examinations and peer appraisal report review with the American Society of Appraisers. In addition, she was awarded the Certified Master Appraiser designation with the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers. In 2013, Gina received Los Angeles Magazine's coveted “Best in LA” award for her Jewelry Appraisal Services.

She conducts presentations and speeches about appraisal and jewelry related topics to private and corporate groups in the Los Angeles area. Gina is currently serving as Gems and Jewelry Education Chair for the American Society of Appraisers and co-instructor for their Appraisal Report Writing For Insurance Coverage course.

Professional Affiliations
• Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (FGA)
• Fellow of The Gemological Association of Australia (FGAA)
• Certified Master Appraiser of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA)
• Accredited Senior Gemologist, Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA)
• Member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, (NAWCC)
• Accredited Senior Member & Master Gemologist Appraiser®, (ASA)

Max Brownawell is Consignment Director and Specialist for Luxury Accessories at Heritage’s New York office. Max has years of experience in the luxury resale market. As a teenager, he bought and sold pre-owned luxury accessories under his own name, and later founded an online luxury accessories company before attending the University of Virginia. Max also gained experience in luxury goods authentication and merchandising while working at The Real Real in San Francisco and New York.

Barbara Conn is Consignment Director for Luxury Accessories.  Her expertise in the luxury handbag market is extensive, with over a decade in the high-end accessories segment as a business owner and consultant. After a 15-year career in entertainment marketing, Barbara transitioned to the luxury goods arena. She is an expert in appraisal and authentication and her counsel is frequently sought in the field. Barbara has strong relationships with buyers, sellers and consignors from coast to coast, along with an in-depth knowledge of the Luxury marketplace.

Eva Violante is a trained gemologist with extensive experience evaluating diamonds, estate jewelry, and timepieces. She is the Fine Jewelry Director in Heritage Auctions' growing New York office.  

Early in her career, Eva's interest in luxury and design brought her to renowned fashion houses such as Diane Von Furstenberg and Anne Fontaine where she worked in marketing and brand strategy. Since 2007, Violante worked as a jewelry and watch buyer for CIRCA, one of Madison Avenue's largest jewelry firms. Most recently, she lived and worked in Madrid, Spain as an International Buyer where she honed her skills evaluating diamonds, antique jewels and watches.  

She is a GIA certified grader of diamonds and colored stones. Fluent in Spanish, Violante also is a member of the Women's Jewelry Association and the American Society of Jewelry Historians.  

Ana Wroblaski

Consignment Director, Beverly Hills

AnaW@HA.com  

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).