(PRESS RELEASE) CHICAGO, IL — Ellie Thompson, the celebrated Chicago-based designer of fine jewelry, announced the publication of Designing American Jewelry: From City Rhythms to Western Dreams. Both a personal memoir and a compelling retrospective of her life’s work, the book describes Thompson’s vision as a contemporary American designer, as well as her perspective on the meaning and potency of jewelry in the modern age.
“Good design has a broad sensual appeal. It is aesthetically balanced, interesting to touch, yet comfortable. It tells a story, starts a conversation, and enhances individual style.”
— Ellie Thompson
From her humble beginnings as a teenage shop-girl in New Haven, Connecticut, Thompson tells the tale of her career as a highly regarded gemologist and designer in Chicago and beyond. Designing American Jewelry highlights the myriad inspirations for her work, reflects on the influence of people and places along the way, and is a testament to living a life of curiosity.
Thompson displays a gift for finding inspiration in unlikely sources, capturing the essence of a moment, a place, or an emotion, from urban architecture to the flora, fauna, and light of the American West, from the Fibonacci Sequence to the very rhythm of time passing. That same talent comes through in her writing as she captures pivotal moments in her life with the ease of a seasoned essayist.
The beautifully designed book includes nearly two hundred color photographs illustrating this remarkable American designer’s quarter century of design, ambition, and resilience.
The book debuts on June 20, 2024. The book, Thompson’s first, will be available in hardcover, at Amazon, local Chicago booksellers, the Driehaus Museum Shop, and Ellie Thompson + Co., in-store and online by June 20, 2024. Preorders will begin on May 20th at www.elliethompsonco.com.
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She is @elliethompsonco on Instagram and Facebook.
