Nancy Janeliunas - Gemologist, Appraiser

11/07/2025

Newest update 11/15: There is now a reconsideration on the authentication. The Faberge records of inventory and manufacture may not be complete, so there could very possibly be undocumented works by Henrik. As it stands now this is 'unconfirmed' as Faberge which also means it's 'unconfirmed' that it is fraudulently marked. This just illustrates how difficult a task authenticating high stakes works of art can be.
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Update to my previous Faberge post. This topic will be titled...
Not all things are what they seem in the world of Faberge.

Where the stakes are high on valuable high end items there always is the risk of fake and fraudulent marks. The quality of these fake duplicated items match the level of detail, contain the same materials and are made with the same exquisite Russian workmanship which make authentication difficult without being a specialist. At this high level of forgeries and fakes it takes a specialist who has in depth knowledge and experience in the history of the House of Faberge along with it's maker's. In the case of this item the current owner, Jonathan of Jonathan's Jewelers, has a client who was personally acquainted with a very well known Russian works of art specialist, who ran the Russian Department at Christie’s New York. They also worked for the Hillwood Museum in Washington DC, The Alexander Palace in St. Petersburg. They even authored the book “Russian Decorative Arts” which was published in 2014. In short...Cynthia Colman Sparke knows her Russian arts.

Cynthia's specialized in depth knowledge of the inventory history of the House of Faberge, was able to note which maker's made what items. Her immediate feedback was Henrik Wigström, was possibly too high up as a workmaster to make something this small which would be a rather insignificant item for him. I'm sure she had other insight to conclude this was a forged hallmark and maker's mark in turn making this a fraudulently marked Faberge item. Aside from this not being a Faberge, it is still an amazing work of Russian art in it's own right. Lesson learned in the world of high stakes fakes. This will still go up for sale in the New York City Antique & Object Show at the Metropolitan Pavilion on Nov. 21-23rd. for what it really is... an exquisite Russian made silver gilt guilloche enamel jeweled work of art.

10/23/2025

In light of Christie's upcoming December's auction of important works by Faberge with the highlight being the Winter Egg hitting the auction block on December 2nd. It is known as Faberge's most lavish creations which has previously set two world's records for the highest price paid for a Faberge with a third record now being forecast to surpass $27 million. https://www.christies.com/auction/the-winter-egg-and-important-works-by-faberge-from-a-princely-collection-23334-cks

The excitement and buzz surrounding this thrilling and significant auction have reignited interest in all things related to House of Fabergé. That's why we were absolutely delighted to catch a glimpse of a stunning Fabergé cigar holder, showcasing a beautiful lavender-colored guilloché enamel in 916 silver gilt and adorned with a jeweled Imperial double-headed eagle. This piece was made between 1908 and 1917 and was assayed in Moscow. Just being able to say you've held such an object, steeped in rich history, feels like a true privilege. It was crafted by the renowned House of Fabergé’s workmaster, Henrik Wigström, who was the third and final senior workmaster. While Henrik didn’t create the Winter Egg, he was responsible for many of the Russian Imperial Fabergé Eggs produced from 1904 to 1917, presented by the Tsars to members of the Romanov Family. His creations are celebrated as some of the finest artistry the world has ever seen. Today, we can admire his masterpieces showcased in museums and through prestigious auction houses, as well as in distinguished private collections. We also cherish those rare moments when a Fabergé piece enters the market, eagerly waiting for its next caretaker. This creation will be offered for sale by Jonathan's Jewelers at the New York City Antique & Object Show at the Metropolitan Pavilion on Nov. 21-23rd. https://www.nycjaos.com/

10/18/2025

GIA jewelry reports...are they good or bad for the appraisal industry? GIA launched a new service recently where they now will grade and provide metal testing on finished jewelry that contain only diamonds from D-Z in color as a GIA Jewelry Report. These primarily will be used as a sales aide that will also serve as a reliable 3rd party confirmation of purchase for the buyer as well. This new service will be most helpful for sellers looking to add clout to their point of sale supplied jewelry information with the GIA's well respected name in the grading industry, their accuracy and provide a reliable 3rd party opinion prior to sale. What this service lacks though is they still do not offer valuations. With this new service some feel this will hurt the appraisal industry taking work away from appraisers. However where GIA is still not in the valuation business, it actually will have little effect as valuations are still needed and in many cases required along with the Jewelry Reports in order for insurance and estate appraisals to be accepted. What these new reports will do though is make our work easier in that the stats are already supplied. Although we still need to verify and agree with the details given, these jewelry reports will certainly make our job easier. I feel that without a valuation, these new reports will not effect the appraisal industry as much as some fear. What they will do is make our work easier without taking work away from us.

Professional, Unbiased Reports

09/05/2025

There could be cash sitting in your stash! Dont miss out now that gold is $3,550 an ounce at its all time high with both silver and platinum on the rise.

I cant stress enough how important it is to have a experienced jeweler / appraiser with knowledge not just in precious metals but antique and collectable jewelry who knows how to spot items that are worth more than their melt or scrap value as well. If I had a dollar everytime a customer said "I have boxes of just costume jewelry thats all junk".... I always advise to bring everything in anyways no matter what. In almost all cases gold, silver, antique and collectable items are found mixed in with the junk...Especially with estates where the jewelry is just tossed in a box a given to the heirs to figure it out.

A good example to use is on these 1980s boxes of junk jewelry aquired from an estate and stored in a closet for 25 years. They were very happy to hear a few gold and silver items were found mixed in. They ended up with having a $500 payout!💰

06/23/2025

Occasionally, an appraiser encounters an item that defies conventional comparison in the marketplace, making it challenging to assign a value. When faced with the task of evaluating an item that is not only difficult but impossible to replace due to the depletion of resources, it becomes a complex undertaking. In such cases, appraisers review the historical records of auction houses to find similar items, but there are instances where no comparable items can be found. What happens then?

Such a scenario arose a couple of years ago, making it a truly unforgettable experience. In this specific case, the items being appraised were part of a collection of jewelry from Red Skelton's widow, adding significant historical and cultural value to the pieces. These unique pieces, all custom-made by William Ruser, a renowned Beverly Hills Designer in the mid-1900s, were auctioned through Auctioneer Jones & Horan in Goffstown, New Hampshire. I can post the items without breaking confidentiality as the owner wanted them publicized by the auction house in their advertising who these items were worn by, as it would significantly impact auction results and generate more interest having this provenance known.

The challenge of valuing items with no replacement or comparison was particularly evident in the appraisal of the two massive in size star sapphires, weighing approximately 62 and 68 carats, an exceptionally rare find even for 75 years ago. Given the absence of similar star sapphires of such size, we (myself and Jonathan of Jonathan’s Jeweler’s the store where the appraisal was conducted at) needed to consult the expertise of a renowned gemologist, a regular contributor to the Gem Guide, who is a prominent resource for current market pricing of gems. The gemologist's opinion suggested a significant value in the higher five-digit range but also noted that we could even go as high as a six-digit range on each gem, reflecting their irreplaceable nature in today's market. The auction hammer prices realized of $27,000 and $18,000 reflect the wholesale end of the market pricing and both items were bought at a good value. Ultimately, the assigned retail replacement value was aimed to cover the irreplaceable nature of the gems in the event of a loss, acknowledging the challenge of not being able to find suitable replacements in the current gem market today.

04/21/2025

In a volatile stock market, gold continues to demonstrate its resilience and is projected to remain a secure investment. Currently priced at a substantial $3,383 an ounce, it shows no signs of weakening. If you have valuables stored away in a box, now is the perfect opportunity to assess their worth. Additionally, if you haven't updated your homeowners insurance to accurately reflect the value of your gold jewelry, particularly your heavier pieces, in recent years, you may find yourself significantly underinsured.

The initial consultation is complimentary. Please bring your items for a discussion on understanding your specific needs and goals. This will allow me to make recommendations tailored to best meet those objectives.

03/29/2025

Gold closed at $3084.70 today. It's unbelievable how much an ounce of gold is today compared to under $300 an ounce in 2,000 shown in the 25 year chart below. Now is the time to cash in on your scrap and unworn gold jewelry. Those 1950's chunky large charm bracelets, 1980's thick rope and figaro chains are literally now selling at scrap value for thousands of dollars.

If you don't know what you have in those jewelry boxes that you've been holding on to, this is a good time to find out what you have and what you can get for it.

Gold Price in USD per Troy Ounce for Last 25 Years

03/23/2025

Its pretty common to see glass and gem people shining their UV (black) lights at their stones and declaring... 'this is uranium glass' if it glows bright green. But are they really making a correct identification by using one tool in an arsenal of diagnostic gemological equipment? The answer to this comes through having more advanced gemological knowledge in knowing that UV test results can only be an indicator. A UV light along with other gemological tests though can be useful in helping to conclude along with the more reliable test results. The reason that ultraviolet fluorescence is an unreliable property to use solely in determining a gem's ID is because it is not a constant. Certain minerals of the same species can fluoresce different colors from different mines. Different intensities can occur from inert (none) to strong in the same species of gem. Plus different minerals can fluoresce the same color even making a correct identification impossible by color alone. So you can see why it very rarely can be used as the only method to identify.

Let's ask a UV light user what stones are shown below that are fluorescing bright neon green and bright red? Most all would guess uranium glass on the glowing green center stone. Some may notice its a modern ring so as a 2nd guess they would say synthetic spinel. Both gems fluoresce the same neon green but are two very different materials and both would still be wrong. The stone is a pink cubic zirconia that was doped with the element erbium to obtain its pink color that you can see in the daylight image. For the red colored stones most all would conclude ruby and they would be correct. Many would expand that to be synthetic ruby and they would be correct in this case as well. However not all rubies that fluoresce bright red are synthetic, some can be very valuable Burmese rubies. Burmese rubies are the only natural rubies that fluoresce a bright neon red color, so your brightly glowing ruby may not in all cases be a synthetic.....In the case of this ring shown below though it is a modern ring, sterling and contains a cubic zirconia we can pretty safely conclude the brightly glowing rubies will not be Burmese rubies without having to do any further diagnostic testing. However on loose rubies and stones in older items...this is where your gemological knowledge kicks in, being able to recognize that further examination is needed and then to be able to accurately separate the two. The difference can be literally thousands of dollars. The ring on the left appraised at $50, the ring on the right over $20,000. That's a huge difference.

03/23/2025

The first 10 customers will receive 1 free appraisal ($125) value or $125 credit off of 2 or more appraisals at my new location.

Now accepting appointments in my new office at 370 Main Street, Townsend, Massachusetts. 2nd floor suite 203c by appointment only. Message or email to set up a time.

My appraisal & consultation services are detailed here. https://jewelryrevivals.com/appraisal/

03/18/2025

How can I prepare for my appraisal?

THE PREPARATION
All appraisal services are by appointment only at my office in Townsend MA or at your location. Prior to your appointment there are preparations you can do that will help the process go smoothly and as efficiently as possible.

Schedule a time for your appointment first.

Collect all paperwork and documentation such as current and old appraisals, sales receipts, certifications, laboratory reports, etc.

Unbox jewelry that is stored in boxes if your able to, it is a helpful time and space saver.

For on site appraisals a minimum of a 4' work space is needed with an electrical outlet near by to set up gem lab and photo taking equipment. This can be on a counter or table in an area with good lighting. A space will also be needed for the jewelry that is being appraised so it can be laid out while it's being sorted and evaluated.

03/18/2025

THE EXAMINATION
During the appointment, your items are cleaned if needed and each item is thoroughly examined and notes are taken. Metals are tested, gemstone properties are noted, measurements are taken and if your assignment requires pictures, multiple pictures will be taken. Condition will be noted and if any repairs are needed. This collected information is recorded on each item and is used to prepare for the next step of the research.