White Gold & Black Pearl Pendant

White gold orbit pendant set with diamonds and a black pearl.

Most of Ofiesh's work incorporates moving elements. With the flick of a hinge, a ring becomes a pendant. Or among the artist's patented Orbit Collection, a band of brilliant diamonds set in platinum spins around a simple gold bead or an elegant ring.

All of the artist's work is designed, forged, and formed by hand. Since Ofiesh is a self-taught goldsmith, he uses tools in non-traditional ways, and his methods are often unconventional by jewelry standards. He is as creative in his approach to design as he is open-minded about how to make things work.

Ofiesh took workshops along the way with noted metal workers Heikki Seppa and Ronald Pearson. He also studied gem-setting at the Revere Academy in the mid 1980s. But mostly he continued to work on his own moving from silver to gold, refining techniques, and developing his interest in jewelry that moves.

Ofiesh travels around the country exhibiting at prestigious craft shows such as the American Craft Enterprises fairs in Baltimore, San Francisco and St. Paul. Over the years he has received numerous awards at these shows.

Unable to land a prep school teaching job, Ofiesh, an English literature graduate from the University of Virginia, traveled to the small town of Chatham, Virginia, in 1973 to try to sell some of the silver jewelry he made as a hobby. He made $400 in one weekend, and that small commercial success sparked the beginnings of a 30-year career as a jewelry designer.