GUEST: I have a red vase, uh, that I purchased, uh, at a thrift shop for $50.

APPRAISER: And, is that recently?

GUEST: Uh, it was about three years ago.

APPRAISER: Okay.

And, uh, what drew you to this vase?

GUEST: Uh, it's the... the patterns, uh, the shape, the colors.

Uh, it's in the, uh, china cabinet that's lit from the top, so it, when the light shines through, it's like a red glow.

APPRAISER: Oh, that's great.

Well, as you can see, I like these colors too...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:...by what I'm wearing.

(both chuckle) APPRAISER: Uh, so, this piece was actually made by a Romanian glass artist, whose name is Ioan Nemtoi.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: I meant no disrespect if I've mispronounced it, but I don't speak Romanian.

GUEST: Right.

(chuckles) (chuckling): APPRAISER: So...

He has an interesting story, because, uh, he grew up in northeast Romania, and when he was in the fifth grade, he showed an aptitude for art.

So he got channeled into more art classes...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:...and ended up studying, uh, going to college in Bucharest, and he got a degree there in ceramics and art...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:...and glass.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: And went on to start opening his own studio back in his hometown, 'cause he liked the sand there.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: And sand is what you use when you make glass.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: That's what glass is made of...

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER:...that's one of the many things.

He went back there in 1995...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:...and then he started making these great pieces, and a couple pieces were donated to the Vatican and to the UNICEF headquarters.

GUEST: Okay... (chuckles) APPRAISER: And, um... he's represented in museums, and he's had shows.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: And this particular piece, uh, which is a, a large piece for him.

Um, sometimes his glass had-- w-would be cased, and it would be shine-- the surface would be more of a shiny surface.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: This one is a matte finish.

Uh, but this, in a, in a retail venue, could sell for between $1,500 and $2,500.

GUEST: Wow.

Okay.

(laughs) It's nice.

(laughs) APPRAISER: Good shopping.

GUEST: Yeah.