After thirty years in the jewelry industry, twenty-five spent as a designer, Ellie Thompson decided it was time to chronicle her creative journey in her self-published book, “Designing American Jewelry: From City Rhythms to Western Dreams”.
A Thank You Note
“I really hope that people perceive this book as a beautiful thank you note to all the people who supported me along my jewelry design path,” comments Thompson, who started in the jewelry business when she was living in New Haven, Connecticut. She walked into a jewelry store and asked for a job. She got the job and went on to get her graduate gemologist degree, moved to Chicago, where she eventually started an appraisal firm that led to a career in jewelry design and ultimately to the opening of a store in Roscoe Village, Ellie Thompson + Co.
“It’s a memoir, the stories are about the creative process with a focus on jewelry design,” says Thompson, who has won three Spectrum Awards, two American Vision Awards and the American Jewelry Design Council’s New Talent Competition as well as accolades from Platinum Guild International and World Gold Council.
Inspirations
Inspired by everything from French macarons to the American West and city architecture to natural landscapes, Thompson makes the connection between the direction her life takes and the way it influences her jewelry designs. The book is a deeply personal discovery of both Thompson’s journey as a jewelry designer and also the appeal and meaning of jewelry in today’s world.
Western Influence
In her book, Thompson explains that she was using amethyst, citrine, tourmaline and peridot in most of her designs in the early 2000s, but once she began spending time out west, her color palette changed. Now Thompson often uses gray, green and blue stones. “It’s a play on tonality rather than hue,” comments Thompson. “I was influenced by certain Western painters, particularly Todd Connor, whose use of color informed how I use color now. His paintings are in my book. His use of color entered my psyche in a subconscious way. When laying out colored gemstones, I was seeing them in different ways.”
For Thompson writing the book was a joy, she loves to write, but there were challenges. “Getting started was the biggest challenge. I started with a timeline and then turned it into a narrative, getting my voice clear and carrying it through the whole book was challenging,” recalls Thompson. “Then every Wednesday for nine months I sat with a graphic designer doing the layout.” The book boasts 200 photos of Thompson’s jewelry.
Driehaus Museum
In addition to her newly released book, Thompson’s Hydrangea Bracelet is currently on display through September 22 at the Driehaus Museum in Chicago “Chicago Collects: Jewelry in Perspective”, an exhibition that celebrates 200 pieces of jewelry collected by Chicagoans. The exhibit will be on display at the Muskegon Art Museum in Michigan from October 2024 through January 2025.
“Writing this book creates a point of reference,” concludes Thompson. “It’s creating a legacy, it’s allowed me to reconnect with people I haven’t be in touch with for a while and it opens an opportunity to meet new people.”
By Amber Michelle
