About
Our Story
Free Estimates | Complimentary Jewelry Cleanings | Locally Owned Since 1999
Free EstimatesComplimentary Jewelry CleaningsLocally Owned Since 1999
Family Owned Since 1999
Olufson Designs is the place to shop for high-quality custom-made jewelry in 14K and 18K gold and platinum. Our goal is to create a special piece of jewelry that will be treasured forever. We have an extensive selection of diamonds and fine quality gemstones. You can browse our gallery to see some of the unique and beautiful pieces we have designed.
Our passion lies in fine, natural colored gems. Our staff has the knowledge and resources to find the perfect gemstone for you. Continuing education is very important at our store. Most gems are treated in some way, so it is important to understand the ever-changing market.
As members of the American Gem Trade Association, we work with trusted gem dealers who are required to disclose treatments. With the changing gemstone and diamond markets, it's imperative to stay current in the understanding of treatments and origins of our gems and diamonds.
Our large workshop has cutting edge technology, including CAD/CAM, laser welding, wax milling and growing, platinum casting, and state-of-the-art wax injection. With all these resources, and a highly trained staff, we are able to do all of our design and repair work in-house.
Clarity, Cut, Color, and Carat...but what is the 5th C?
Associations
Brands
Payment Method:
- American Express
- Discover
- Financing
- MasterCard
- Wells Fargo Financing
- Visa
Business Attribute:
- Has curbside pickup
- Has in store pickup
- Has online shopping
Our Team
Sean Olufson, Owner
Sean is one of the West Coast's top platinum and goldsmiths. He leads a team of five goldsmiths, CAD, and wax artists with over 125 years of experience. He won back to back Oregon State Design Competition in both 2007 and 2008, the last two years it was judged. The innovation and style in his custom designs continue to impress customers and professional jewelers alike. Diamond and gem dealers that visit and sell to hundreds of stores across the globe routinely come to Olufson Designs to have Sean make their finest, rarest, and most sentimental pieces. He is one of few artists to have the skill to apply fine hand engraving details to pieces of jewelry.
Elisa Miller, Owner, FGA (Gem-A), CGA (AGS), GG (GIA)
Elisa is a Certified Gemologist Appraiser through the American Gem Society
and a Graduate Gemologist through the Gemological Institute of America. Her latest accomplishment is adding FGA to her accolades from the Gemmological Association of Great Britain. Very few gemologists in the United States strive for this distinction. She also holds a bachelor's degree in Earth Sciences. She is an expert at identifying and selecting extremely unique and valuable colored gemstones. Along with Olufson Designs' outstanding reputation among our peers, her expertise was a significant factor in our acceptance to the American Gem Society
(AGS), an organization dedicated to high standards of ethics and professionalism. American Gem Society
member stores must adhere to strict standards of ethics and continuing education.
Bob, Goldsmith, Fabricator
Bob, grandson and son of watchmakers, started goldsmithing in 1977 at the famed Zell Brothers in Portland, OR. He came to work for Toby Pomeroy at Talisman Jewelers in Corvallis in 1986 and he purchased the store from Toby in 1993. He was the lead goldsmith at Talisman Jewelers until he joined the Olufson Designs team in 2012.
Bob's specialty is custom manufacturing and the rare art of fabrication. He has a sharp eye for detail and is an invaluable addition to our staff. With Bob came all of the beloved Talisman Jewelers designs and models, including the recognizable landscape pendants of Marys Peak, Mt. Hood and Three Sisters.
Colleen, Sales, CSA (AGS)
Colleen worked on the wholesale side of jewelry for local beloved jewelry designer, Toby Pomeroy, from 2005 - 2012. After going back to college at OSU and graduating in June 2020, she joins our sales associate team bringing another friendly and helpful face to our store. Colleen’s calm presence, ability to hear her customer’s needs and desires makes her a great resource in finding the perfect jewelry outcome.
In her free time she loves to read, hike, spend time with family & friends and especially to make quilts. She is a member of the Corvallis Modern Quilt Guild and is preparing to be a hospice volunteer.
Lita, Sales, CSA (AGS)
Lita has had multiple years of experience in customer service and sales before joining the team at Olufson Designs. They have a taste for alternative and historical styles but can work with you to find exactly what you want, whether it’s bridal, special occasion or everyday wear.
Lita is very interested in history and often lets that intersect with their love of fashion. In their spare time, they enjoy reading and writing horror fiction, going for walks with their partner and researching historical fashion trends that match the settings of their favorite shows.
Kendra G.G. (GIA) C.G.A (AGS)
Kendra has been in the jewelry field since 2002, working in both Alaska and Oregon. She loves color, especially ruby and tanzanite. Although she loves meeting people daily, her favorite day of the year is Christmas day when her customers open up gifts from their loved ones that she helped pick out especially for them. Have you ever wondered who is the creative who changes out our window displays for all new occasions? Kendra is the one! Kendra currently is helping with the e-commerce site primarily and secondarily in sales, gemology, and appraising. She achieved her certified gemology appraiser credential in the fall of 2021 and is eager to spread her wings.
Kendra spends her spare time doing yoga and Pilates. She and her husband love travelling the world, but enjoy coming home to Oregon to her two cats, two dogs, and two guinea pigs. Home is her favorite place to be.
Barbara, Wax Artist
Barbara has been carving fine details into wax since her graduation in 1978 from Corvallis High School. With 37 years of experience, there is no one better to put finishing touches on a piece of fine wearable art.
Even with today's CAD/CAM and 3D printing technology, Barbara's attention to detail allows us to add more exact elements to a design. Have you ever thought of a landscape pendant depicting your childhood home or the location you proposed to your bride? Barbara can turn your vision into reality.
Dana, Goldsmith, Repair Technician
Dana joined the Olufson Designs team in 2017 apprenticing primarily under former Repair Goldsmith Sue to learn the essentials of the trade before her retirement. Being relatively new to the scene, Dana is grateful for the opportunity to learn from the decades of experience of the other goldsmiths in the shop. In between repairing customers’ jewelry and broadening her skillset, Dana works on original designs in wax and laser assisted fabrication.
Dana has a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology from Oregon State University, which, while it doesn’t directly relate to goldsmithing, provides ample inspiration for her original designs and personal projects. Whether it’s giraffes, dragons, or spider webs, Dana loves accurately incorporating the beauty and whimsy of the natural world into her pieces.
Lisa, Sales, CSA (AGS)
Lisa had many years of sales experience in department stores before starting her career in jewelry. In 2001 she joined the team at Talisman Jewelers and joined our team at Olufson Designs when Talisman Jewelers shuttered its doors in 2012. Lisa has an excellent memory of customers and their jewelry, and great attention to detail.
Lisa achieved her Certified Sales Associate through the American Gem Society in 2015, so you can be sure she is very knowledgeable and can deliver accurate information to you about your jewelry needs. She is very patient and an excellent listener which makes her a great person to help you with your fine jewelry alterations and repairs. She is in constant communication with the goldsmiths that will be executing your repairs, so you can be assured they will be completed to your expectations.
Louise, Sales, CSA (AGS)
Louise has worked in the fine jewelry trade for an impressive 40 years. She was the owner of her own custom store in Corvallis, VanSlyke Jewelers, for 11 years. She has the knowledge and experience to help customers find the perfect diamond or gem and design a one-of-a-kind heirloom to be treasured. While she is in the process of retiring, it is a lucky day when we work side by side with Louise.
She is a Certified Sales Associate through the American Gem Society
which requires yearly continuing education for all of its titleholders. This guarantees that the associates have current knowledge of this ever-changing and highly specific industry.