Robert Ebendorf studied at the University of Kansas, earning his B.F.A in 1958, and his M.F.A. in 1963. Upon receiving a Fulbright scholarship, he continued his studies at Norway’s State School for Applied Arts and Crafts in the same year. In 1965, he received the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant, and he returned to Norway to work at Norway Silver Designs in Fredrikstad. Noted for creating pieces that use found or unconventional and unorthodox materials, Ebendorf has also given back to the world of jewelry making as a founding member and past president of the Society of North American Goldsmiths. Along with his work in jewelry, Ebendorf has worked as a jewelry design consultant in Mexico City, Oslo, Norway, and Venice, Italy, and has taught at Stetson University in Florida, the University of Georgia, and the State University of New York, New Paltz.