Ditching her day job as a loan officer was a very smart move for Charlotte Leavitt. Her new gig involves creating beautiful jewelry in a studio above the Porthole. Now she gets to spend her hours creating handmade pieces and watching cruise ships come in and out of the harbor. Not a bad career move.

Charlotte’s idea for Chart Metal Works, which she co-owns with her partner John, came after she noticed how cool the charts she had hanging up in her home would look as jewelry. Once people started asking her where she sold her baubles, she knew she was on to something.

Every piece is custom made in their Portland studio. Now the company has five full-time employees and Charlotte’s pieces are sold in over 75 stores across the country. She gets orders from lobsterman that want a keychain of their “sweet spot” to magazine editors that order them as gifts.  She and John do it all. They print the charts, take orders, pour the resin and polish the pieces. If you get a piece from Chart Metalworks, you can guarantee it’s been touched by the founder herself. So what is it about nautical charts? Charlotte says, “Well, they’re beautiful as a whole but when you zero in on someone’s specific point of interest, they become special.”  

Visit their online shop here.