Adventures + Stories

I love September in the Northern Rocky Mountains.  Every year I point my car West and head to Wyoming and Montana.

Rubies and red spinel are some of the most scrumptious reds in the jewelry box. You may think they are the same (they can look really similar), but they're not. They have different properties that make them unique.

This article was originally published in "Explore Big Sky," on April 13, 2017.

This article was originally published in "INSTORE Magazine," on August 31, 2021.

Since the Bronze Age, garnets have adorned the wealthy, from the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs to the markets of Rome to the streets of Victorian London.

Many readers may be familiar with tourmaline from hair dryer ads that talk about “negative ionization” and “infra-red heat.”

A favorite of generations of British monarchs and beloved by Queen Elizabeth II, no other gemstone is as synonymous with royalty as the sapphire.

Pearls. Idealized as perfectly round white orbs shimmering with a faint pink light, or black ones glistening with iridescent purple.

Peridot has been found on Earth for millions of years, making it one of the oldest known minerals.

Ellie Thompson + Co. celebrates LOVE all Pride Month long with special pricing on custom, made-to-order, engagement rings, and wedding bands for men and women. Enjoy the experience of expressing your love in a unique way with specially crafted rings. 

After opening my new shop in Chicago’s Roscoe Village in the fall of 2019, I have received many requests and lots of enthusiasm for lab-grown diamonds, especially for engagement rings and stud style earrings.

It is well known in Montana that wood will keep you warm twice, once when you cut and stack it and again when you burn it. 

In my early 20s, when I first started out in the jewelry industry, I joined the Chicago Chapter of the Women’s Jewelry Association.

A New Collection: Designing the First Piece, PART V And then the pandemic struck….

I love winter in Chicago.

I think often about the sentiment we attach to the jewelry we wear.

I am lucky to live on one of Chicago's most beautiful beaches. It sits quietly just north of the hustle and bustle of the Lakefront Trail. It is a hidden gem.

I am often asked how I come up with my ideas. 

So now, I am feeling the urgency to get The First Piece to Done!!!

After I decided to feature the beautiful oval spessartite garnet in the First Piece, I moved on to procuring gemstones for the first three pairs of earrings.

The "First Piece" is to be a large pendant, with a floral design in an architectural style made in 18K yellow gold, inlaid American walnut, with a spessartite garnet center, rubellite tourmalines radiating out to the perimeter, and a drop component comprised of peridot and diamonds.

Creating a new collection is not something I do on a timeline.

Pearls are a symbol of love, success, and happiness, and are used as an emblem of chastity and purity. Pearls are thought to give wisdom, to quicken karma, and cement engagements and relationships.

When I was growing up, my friends who were born in August always lamented their birthstone, Peridot, and for good reason.

While Sapphires are available in a wide range of colors from yellow to pink, green to purple, violet to orange, the Blue Sapphire is the most popular. I am often called upon to design engagement rings using a blue sapphire instead of a diamond as the centerpiece. 

These earrings are set with trillion cut Rhodolite Garnets and Diamonds in 18K Yellow Gold

Blue Zircon has a lively, natural light to medium slightly greenish-blue color with brilliance that rivals a diamond. I love designing with blue zircon, look for blue zircons in my upcoming collections!

I find myself returning east to Chicago by mid-October. I would hate to miss a Chicago winter!