About me

So it probably goes without saying that my name is Jessica. I was born and raised in Athens, TN and still reside there today. I have a studio in my home. It has moved from my home to White Street Market and back to my home after we built an additional room onto my home to contain all my equipment (yay!)  I now have a full studio here as well as a metalsmithing workshop in my garage. I am married to a wonderful muralist and painter artist named Donovan Klaaren who also works a full-time day job, and I have 2 sons as well. 

If you don’t already know, I should probably mention that my designs have been on more than 15 television episodes to date, with hopefully more to come! My designs have also been worn by a few actors in Hollywood and were displayed at the GBK Emmy’s gifting suite, photographed on a few celebrities. I had the blessing and pleasure of placing my jewelry in the hands of celebrities such as Drew Barrymore, Dolly Parton, Kelly Clarkson, Dascha Polanco from Orange is the New Black, and Daniel Franzese from Mean Girls (she doesn’t even go here guy,) just to name drop a few. I also won an Emerging Artist Merit Award from the Jury at The Tennessee Craft Fair in Nashville in the fall of 2018. Ok, consider my horn tooted. ha

Other than making jewelry, I really love to hang out with my husband and friends. We love to karaoke, and we are involved in our local Elk’s Club, where we volunteer our time to help raise money for local charities, families in need, and fun events. I am #blessed to have a few besties who I have known and loved since childhood, which is one of the perks of growing up and settling down in a small town. Granted, there isn’t a ton to do here, but we do have disc golf, bowling, hiking, a quaint downtown, and a great arts program. We also love to travel when time allows, and we are between two major east TN cities, Knoxville and Chattanooga, which we can travel to in an hour in either direction, so we are not too far away from areas that offer more activities and businesses.

I really enjoy dancing and singing for fun. I also write poetry and make 2d art sometimes. I also try to read a book every once in awhile. I used to do weekend shows nearly every weekend until the Pandemic. When the outbreak forced an abrupt end to large gatherings and shows, I decided to use my free time to go back to school and get a free Associate Degree. (Thank you TN Promise Grant Program for allowing everyone a free Associate Degree!) While in the program, I realized I had a talent for numbers and data analyzation, so I decided to keep going after my graduation in December 2021. I am now three classes away from graduating from Tennessee Wesleyan University with my Bachelor Degree in Management with Concentration in Accounting, and I plan to begin a new day job career in the Accounting field in 2023. I am proud to say I currently have a 4.0 GPA in both programs, and I received an Honors Associate Degree as well. I will still be making jewelry on the side, but I will not be doing weekend shows all the time anymore. Aside from seeing all the beautiful people and meeting my customers in person, I will not miss the grind of packing up and unloading all that heavy stuff or dealing with 20 degree or rainy days. ; ) Please keep an eye on my social media if you would like the opportunity to catch me in person somewhere, because it will only be an option a couple times a year. I am most active on Instagram and Facebook, which you can find by searching Jessica Klaaren Jewelry. If you would like to be a friend, I am also okay with that and will accept friend requests from real people seeking that. Otherwise, you can find my jewelry locally in Athens, TN at White Street Market, Art & Frame, and the Arts Center. I also am working on a new line for a wellness center, and it will be focused on Goddess empowering pieces that have stones with beneficial properties and spiritual wellness and nature connectedness themes.

Lastly, I have 3 pets, all girls. I have 2 cats, Po and Cleo, and my Great Pyrenees dog named Sasha Fierce. My pets along with my boys keep me on my toes, and my days – much like my jewelry and art – are often colorful. ; )