Melanie's Story
“You have to find what sparks a light within you, so that you can in your own way light up the world.”
- Oprah Winfrey
Whether they are customers, business people or simply curious people who like to discover success stories, many wonder how a young woman, destined for a career in science and engineering, was able to leave everything behind to become an entrepreneur and found her own jewelry brand.
The story of Melanie Stones is like its founder: remarkable and inspiring.
At the source of this great adventure, there is an instinct, a little inner voice that pushes her to go further, to charge against all odds. There is courage and beautiful encounters. This is the foundation that has made Mélanie Pilote the founding president and designer of the jewelry company Melanie Stones for almost 10 years.
Originally from Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, the eldest of a family of three girls, she had to set an example, and this top of the class quickly made her teacher parents very proud of her academic results.
At a very young age, Mélanie demonstrated a highly developed artistic sense. At the age of four, she began classical ballet and indulged in countless activities that allowed her to express her creativity. She has precious memories of the time spent with her maternal grandmother learning all the basics of sewing, knitting, macramé and cooking.
Saturday mornings have long been devoted to visual arts. An artist and friend of her father, teaches Mélanie and her friends, various visual arts techniques. Eager to share her passion for the arts, Mélanie leads every Friday, the visual arts class of her 3rd grade class.
And then there is the pleasure of helping others to look their best, to feel good. Mélanie spends hours doing her friends' hair, to the point where at the age of 13, she tells her parents that her dream is to become a hairdresser! This was not part of the plan, for someone who had until then performed well in all school subjects. The path indicated was university and science.
With two scholarships in her pocket, Mélanie began a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. She quickly realized that she had no interest in working as an engineer, and decided to continue her studies in actuarial science at Université Laval. Determined and studious, she completed a second bachelor's degree and began a consulting career with actuarial firms.
Mélanie loudly states that she has no regrets about her career choices, since she has always enjoyed studying mathematics and taking on challenges. In addition, the rigor required by consulting work has allowed her to develop skills that are very useful today.
From a young age, she had this feeling of wanting to accomplish great things, to push her limits, to do something “special” with her life.
At 38, she met the man who would become her daughter's father, an entrepreneur. At his side, she discovered the world of entrepreneurship and quickly said to herself: "Why don't I start my own business?"
She then began to think about what kind of business she would like to have, but she already knew that she wanted to build a brand.
Melanie meets a branding expert who will lead her to determine what she is passionate about in life. This six-week process allows her to discover the essence of her identity which turns out to be: knowing how to recognize true beauty .
It is the summer of 2014 and Mélanie is wondering how she is going to move forward with this gift she has received.
A young mother of Estelle, who was two years old at the time, Mélanie told herself "nothing ventured, nothing gained!", to go all in and quit her job and the security it gave her. She signed up for a thirteen-week training course on entrepreneurship, with the deep conviction that her efforts would be rewarded and that she would succeed.
Let's face it: Mélanie has shown perseverance and resilience and has never stopped believing in her project. Her intuition and artistic talent give her wings and she is throwing herself into this adventure.
It was instinctively, during a visit to the Fabergé exhibition, held at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, that she discovered that the stones which adorn these fabulous eggs made her vibrate.
On January 8, 2015, Mélanie founded her company: Melanie Stones Jewelry and she began by designing fine stone bracelets in her kitchen.
Mélanie focuses all her attention on the stones and pearls that she selects one by one, when she designs jewelry. She puts all her expertise, passion and heart into bringing her creations to life.
Starting from nothing, she now designs high-end jewelry made from stones and pearls from all four corners of the planet, cut exclusively for Melanie Stones, in collaboration with the best jewelers and gemologists in Montreal.
His clients entrust her with the creation of jewelry that marks the most important occasions of their lives.
Melanie's jewelry stands out for its beauty and high quality. Her customers are thrilled and tell her that they wear their jewelry every day with pride!
Melanie Stones quickly established itself as a company of exceptional high-end jewelry designed in Quebec.
Each piece of Melanie Stones jewelry is made to order and created with intuition and care, and she takes great care to personalize each of her creations.
We are witnessing a real craze for Mélanie's jewelry.
Mélanie always keeps in mind this phrase uttered one day by her father, while she was trying to find what defines her personality: "Mélanie, you always want to offer perfection."
This is what she strives for, day after day: to offer perfect jewelry to her numerous customers, proud to wear Melanie Stones creations.