Making Jewels and Doing Good in the U.S.

We’re highlighting small businesses from around the country as nominated by you, our readers. If your favorite small business is using Twitter to communicate with customers, let us know about it @fbsmallbiz with the hashtag #mysbc, and it may be featured as an upcoming Small Business Spotlight.

Small Business Spotlight: Kolton.J Jewelry

Who: Jenny Schretter, founder and designer, @Kolton_J

What: Handmade jewelry

When: 2010

How: Schretter began making one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces in 2008 as a hobby, while at Harvard. She then launched a gallery Website while working on Wall Street, never expecting it to turn into a full-time job.

“It took off after I was featured on an international blog,” she said. “From then, I started getting orders from Hong Kong and around the world, and that’s when I started taking a look at it and thought I wanted to pursue this as a business.”

She decided to incorporate a social initiative impact, and 10% of online order profits go to charities that support underprivileged women.

Quote from the owner: “I wanted the company to be philanthropic and keep jobs and manufacturing in the U.S.,” she said.