When the guidance counselor at his high school in Dale City, Va., suggested Giles Todd pursue a career in mechanical engineering, the 18-year-old set out to find a strong engineering school. He found Old Dominion University.

What he didn't find, however, was happiness. His inner artist needed to get out, and after a year-and-a-half as a self-described "average engineering student," he switched his major to art, earning a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1997.

Despite his concerns about making a living as an artist, Todd has, in fact, been doing just that since joining Tiffany and Co. - the holy grail of precious gems and metals - as a silversmith.

Todd, who lives near Parsippany, N.J., produces many of Tiffany's signature pieces, including coffee sets, tea sets, cups, trays and sports trophies. The product line continues to evolve and he is excited about the challenges as the pieces become more complex.

"There aren't really any other companies in the country like Tiffany's," he said. "This job gives me the ability to work in an artistic medium as a profession, and the amount of daily practice is something I wouldn't get if I was working for myself."

However there is some work he continues to do on his own, most notably a reproduction of a 1610 pineapple cup (the original is on display at Norfolk's Chrysler Museum), a piece he has been working on since his Old Dominion days. In fact, it was a research grant he received through the Honors College that led him to the piece, which in turn ultimately helped land him his job. The grant brought him in contact with curators at both the Chrysler and Colonial Williamsburg, who knew of the position at Tiffany's and the person hiring it. They suggested he apply.

Todd is quick to credit his professors at Old Dominion for his success, most notably Victor Pickett and Dianne deBeixedon. He calls Pickett one of his greatest artistic influences, and cites deBeixedon's emphasis on detail as a hallmark of his own work. "Primarily it is his form and her technique that I draw from," he said.

He also takes inspiration from his father, a clockmaker, and his mother, who always encouraged his artistic endeavors. "My parents were really supportive of me from the start."

That support system grew in 1998 when Todd returned to his native England to study conservation and restoration of metal antiques. There he met a ceramics specialist, Helen Stockman, and the two were married July 17. She recently accepted a job as a conservator for the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

Through all the changes in his life, Todd said he still carries Old Dominion with him, particularly the commitment to finish that pineapple cup. "Lou Henry (dean of the Honors College) probably thinks I've forgotten about it, but I haven't."

- Elizabeth V. Harders