Jennie Lorette Keatts is a Seagrove jeweler that makes designer cabochons from clay and Jugtown Pottery glazes. They are the focal point of her designs created in sterling silver and are fired in both electric oxidation and gas reduction kilns.  Her work can be found at Jugtown Pottery in Seagrove, as well as many galleries around the state. Jennie moved to Seagrove in 1999 from Colorado following a career in International Tourism Marketing for Denver Colorado. She was a founding member of SAPA in 2003 and has served on the Board twice previously. She was also co-chair of marketing for the Celebration of Seagrove Potters at its inception  in 2008 until 2016, as well as for the Spring Kiln Opening, and served on the Board of the NC Pottery Center.

Handmade sterling silver jewelry with pottery cabochons as the focal point and accented with semiprecious stones and sometimes gold. The stones are made from stoneware clay, bisque fired and then they are ready to be glazed. Layering different melting point glazes together yields gemstones that are full of depth and color. The process is tedious, as too much glaze will result in the stone sticking to the shelf.

Jennie moved to Seagrove from Denver, after a 16 years career in Hospitality and Tourism Marketing. Traveling around the world with her jobs and seeing the many kinds of ceramics and crafts being produced helped to develop her interest in clay and how it could be used to make jewelry. Today her stones compliment her jewelry, often confused as semi-precious or precious stones. The glazes, though, are made from the same materials that the stones are. It is just a different way and unique way to create something beautiful and functional from clay. She has won numerous awards including Best in Show.

Her work is at Jugtown Pottery in the Sales cabin. Jennie’’s work can also be found in fine craft galleries, museum shops, online and in several publications.