BET.com’s THE GLAM GAP is a weekly video series spotlighting Black entrepreneurs, executives and influencers in the beauty, fashion and lifestyle space.

Last year, Beyoncé published an extensive directory of Black-owned businesses to her website. One of those listed was Melanie Marie, a custom jewelry line and brainchild of New Yorker Melanie White. And while simply being recognized on the coveted list was enough for the accessories designer, it didn’t stop there. “We were lucky to have a collaboration with Beyoncé and Black Is King,” White tells BET Digital.

“The team had reached out to me to see if I could make a custom chain to go along with the film, so we came up with two different designs.” As expected, after months of keeping it a secret, White was over the moon to finally share the news. “I was like, “Oh my god!” she says. “I would randomly call my friends and say ‘You know, Beyoncé knows me now.’”

With such success, you’d think that White had always dedicated her career to jewelry, but that’s not the case. “I actually went to Hampton University for nursing,” she says. “I come from a family of people who are big into education, and my grandma would always ask when we were growing up if we wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer.”

However, White quickly realized that neither of those professions satisfied her. “I was just like ‘I don't want to do this,’” she says. “I'm too creative, and I already had such a deep love for jewelry, handbags, and other accessories.” So when White finally decided to lean into entrepreneurship, Melanie Marie began solely as a handbag brand. However, White shares that the high-priced manufacturing led her to explore the possibilities of jewelry exclusively. “I started adding costume jewelry,” she says. “Then I moved on to custom jewelry and that's pretty much how it all came together.”

It’s important to note that when you purchase a Melanie Marie item, you’re purchasing a personalized, one-of-a-kind investment piece. “Everything is handmade,” White shares. “Custom items are something that you can keep forever, so I encourage my customers to take time ordering and figuring out the right item that will be best for them.”

White has adopted that same attitude when it comes to her personal style. “I like to mix it up here and there,” she says. “Sometimes I might be in loungewear, sometimes I'll be in a dress, or other times I'll be in jeans and moto jacket, it’s all about what’s comfortable to me. As long as I'm comfortable and cute, I'm good to go.”

She says that these days, she finds inspiration from those closest to her. “I have a four-year-old and everything she does comes straight from her imagination,” White says.

“Whether it’s drawing, talking, or just making up characters in her head. She knows what I do and it's funny because when I’m shipping stuff, she always wants to help. That's why sometimes if people get their packages and the labels are askew, that’s because she did it.” The tot is proving to already be following in her mother’s footsteps. “She has a bead set that I got her so she makes necklaces and will come to me and say ‘ooh, look at this, we have to send this to the customers,” White shares. “But sometimes she’s right and I’ll realize that the colors she’s put together are cute, so it might spark an idea for a new piece or style.” 

But how does White balance it all? Well, with another little one on the way, she’s relearning what she’s already become comfortable with. “I feel like at this moment that I'm in now, I've mastered being a mom of one and an entrepreneur,” she says. “Now, when you say ‘mother of two,’ it freaks me out because I'm like, ‘Oh my God, I'm about to have two kids.’ So I have to figure out how I'm going to have to relearn my schedule and this balancing act. You just have to examine everything overall, the way you work, your habits, the kid’s nap times. And then just go from there.”

Follow Melanie White on Instagram @melrwhite and visit melaniemarie.com to explore White’s collection.