About Heritage Auctions - Jewelry & Timepieces

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.

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

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 serves on the Accredited Gemologists Board, the Gems and Jewelry Education Committee for the American Society of Appraisers and is co-instructor for their Appraisal Report Writing for Insurance Coverage course. Gina conducts presentations and speeches about appraisal and jewelry related topics to private and corporate groups in the USA.

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.

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.

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).