Ellie wearing a knit wrap by Karnakarna design… and cowboy boots.
This is the West. She’s in Wyoming.
Photo: Zac Rosser.
Chicago jewelry designer and gemologist Ellie Thompson passed away on July 30, 2026. She was 59 years old.
Ellie was born in Rochester, New York in 1966, and spent her youth in Hamden, Connecticut, just north of New Haven. She was a graduate of Hamden High School.
Her jewelry career began shortly thereafter with New Haven goldsmith Derek Simpson. With his encouragement, she studied at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in California. Upon receiving her Graduate Gemologist diploma, she moved to Chicago to work for Richard Drucker at Gemworld International. After a few years at Gemworld learning many aspects of the industry, she opened her own independent appraisal company, The Chicago Gem Lab. While working independently as a jewelry appraiser and as a consultant with Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, her passion for design took hold with her first jewelry collection, City Rhythms, inspired by the architecture and environment of Chicago.
She sold The Chicago Gem Lab and founded Ellie Thompson & Co. to focus on jewelry design. Simultaneously, in 1996, she gave birth to the gem of her life, daughter Lindsay.
Ellie’s designs received numerous awards from the jewelry industry, and two of her jewels are in the permanent collection of the Field Museum in the Grainger Hall of Gems. In 2019, she moved her brick-and-mortar store to Chicago’s Roscoe Village, where she served the community through her work and her involvement with the Lakeview/Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce.
Ellie was also a competitive mountain biker with many race appearances across the Midwest. She was a tenacious competitor, and while she broke many bones along the way, falling down never broke her spirit. She always found a way to get back on the bike.
The Grainger Hall of Gems is generously sponsored by The Grainger Foundation.
Ellie Thompson of Ellie Thompson + Co., designer.
Ellie is survived by her daughter, Lindsay Thompson of Chicago; her mother, Drusilla D. Cherry; her father, Dr. Ralph F. Stroup, and her stepmother; her brothers, Derek, Justin, and Dylan; four nieces; and her dog, Beefcake. She is also survived by friends and mountains out west in Montana, in the flowers outside her apartment in Rogers Park and the Botanic Gardens where she volunteered and studied, in the waves of Lake Michigan (anytime of year), and the bike trails of Kettle Moraine, Wisconsin.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to SKORR (Southern Kettles Off Road Riders) in memory of Eleanor (Ellie) Louise Stroup Thompson.
SKORR – Donate
A memorial sale of her jewelry, art, and more will take place in person in September. The date will be announced via Ellie Thompson & Co.’s Instagram: @elliethompsonco.
A Personal Remembrance
I first met Ellie Thompson shortly after she graduated from GIA, when she wandered into the GIA Alumni Association office in Santa Monica looking for advice about where to begin her career. That conversation helped steer her towards Chicago, where she would build a life and a remarkable career.
Tap here for Gary Roskin’s personal remembrance of Ellie Thompson.
The Grainger Hall of Gems is generously sponsored by The Grainger Foundation.
Ellie Thompson of Ellie Thompson + Co., designer.
