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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 one weekend before graduating in 1973 to try to sell some of the silver jewelry he made as a hobby. This unprecedented "commercial success" (He made $400 in one weekend.) sparked the beginnings of a 30-year career as a jewelry designer. Largely self-taught, 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. |
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| Ofiesh travels around the country exhibiting at prestigious craft shows such as the American Craft Enterprises fairs in Baltimore, San Francisco and St. Paul; the American Craft Exposition in Evanston, Illinois; the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, the St. Louis Art Fair, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. Over the years he has received numerous awards at some of these shows, among them the Michael Bondanza Award for Excellence in Jewelry at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show (1988); the Hoover & Strong Award for Designs in Precious Metals at the Richmond Craft Show (1991, 1995 and 1998); and jewelry awards at the St. Louis Art Fair (1996) and the Portland Arts Festival (1998, 1999) in Oregon. |
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| Ofiesh produces one-of-kind pieces and also steadily develops several distinctive lines of work including his new orbit ring series and his collection of woven precious metal jewelry. Ofiesh designs all of his own work and it is made in his studio in Charlottesville, Virginia. His jewelry is also sold in numerous stores and galleries throughout the United States. |
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