Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Jones.
Hi Ariel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Being an Atlanta native raised in the SWATs or Zone 4, however you might know this area as Southwest Atlanta has always been a major point of pride for me. Many people don’t know that Trap music was born on between Zone 1 (Bankhead) and the Southside of the city, not Zone 6. The SWATs has always been the area where black doctors, lawyers, and business people thrived. I grew up seeing Bentley’s, Rolls Royces’, Range Rovers, and the most exclusive Benz trucks drive down Campbellton as my mom was taking me to school. I never quite understood the dichotomy of seeing such wealth on one side of Campbellton Rd., but further down on the same street seeing the impoverished communities that makes the SWATS what it is — a diverse melting pot of the two realities of African Americans in Atlanta. It is important that I lay the foundation to the area which cultivated me, Ariel Nazira Francesca Jones self-dubbed the Zone 4 Princess, or else the rest of the story won’t really hit.
I was raised off Campbellton but attended a very affluent private school about 15 minutes away in College Park, GA, Woodward Academy where some of the most wealthy families in Atlanta sent their children. I was forced to live in the reality of two different worlds, one with people who looked like me and I felt most at home with, and the other was at school where I just never felt 100% comfortable being myself. I’ve always been drawn to the street life. The fast cars, diamond watches and chains, rap lifestyle. In high school, I was one of the only girls to become very comfortable around that environment because my childhood friends all attended the surrounding local public schools from Westlake, to Mays, to Grady and I was hanging out with them on the weekends. I was seeing and participating in the real Atlanta. Thus the idea for Melz Grillz was birthed back then.
My mother quickly shot down the idea my junior and senior year, claiming that she’d spent all that money to send me to Woodward in order for me to live a different lifestyle than my counterparts. I’d already been to Europe twice and South Africa all before I turned 16 years old. I had seen so much of the world, but I always had a deep desire to irradicate this narrative that African Americans who adorn themselves or that were a part of hip hop culture were “ghetto” and “undesireable” to the mainstream white society because in all actuality I lived this reality in school and I knew how damning it was to be labeled as inferior just for being you.
Fast forward to 2019, we finally took a leap of faith and started Melz Grillz. I was a junior in college, attending the University of Georgia. I’d just gotten accepted to the Music Business Program through the Terry College of Business and I was really understanding my God-given gifts and the Lord was showing me at the time all that he desired for me to do in the entertainment industry. I was managing artists back then, however that venture prepared me for all the current interactions we have within Melz Grillz today.
It has been a slow climb with Melz Grillz. I have been the creative force behind the custom renderings, marketing, and social media. We have just now reached a point where our seeds in the last four years are producing a tangible harvest. I was the only person doing creative direction and styling for our shoots, managing the social media, handling influencer relations, and so much more. I have learned so much about myself and business on this journey and I have become very confident in my creative mind — my ability to see something and make it a reality. My creative mind is my money maker and that is our secret weapon for Melz Grillz.
It only makes sense for a person who is a licensed dental professional to produce these grillz as they understand the state of each patient’s oral hygiene. We have seen so many unethical practices over these four years and people are throwing away 20thousand or more for iced-out trays with the poorest oral hygiene. With Melz Grillz we require consultations to evaluate the patient’s oral hygiene to recommend what grillz they are eligible for and even which dental surgeries are pressing and need to be completed while the grillz is in process. We care deeply for our clients greater than a bottom-line numerical number.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. Many people would look at me and all that I’ve been blessed to experience, but they would never guess the wilderness I had to endure. I’ll spare you all the gruesome details, however when I gave my life to Christ for good during the Fall semester of 2018, things have been nothing short of crazy. My life since then has been nothing short of a tale fresh out of the Old Testament with dangers seen and unseen. My strength comes only from the grace bestowed upon me from above. I am blessed to be a blessing.
Specifically within Melz Grillz, we have suffered much disrespect from all angles and sides. We were dropped from our 1st jeweler without explanation. We were constantly disrespected and belittled by our second jeweler. My mother and I both have dealt with the reality of misogynoir in this entrainment space. My mother, Dr. Melz a licensed dental professional over 25 years, faced blatant disregard from all sorts of people who have treated her accomplishments like nothing. For myself, I’ve had to face being picked over for opportunities I knew I was overqualified for, not being paid for completed jobs, my time being time wasted by empty promises from some of the biggest names in the A, and so much more. So many men I’ve come across have desired to be around me for my body and look in hopes to secure their own fantasies while disregarding my business acumen and talents. It has been very discouraging at times, but we have met some incredible people who have blessed us and restored our hope in our collaborative vision to see Melz Grillz as the new industry standard for luxury custom grillz.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I very much identify as a creative first and a businesswoman immediately after. I’ve mainly worked as a creative director and stylist for Melz Grillz, but also for other independent ventures. I’ve worked on music videos and even styled an NFL executive of over 35 years. I am a huge sports fan, particularly football, so working on Melz Grillz has been great because it’s opened doors to athletes. I will one day open my own sports marketing venture where I’ll work closely with athletes to build out their personal brands and help facilitate creative direction for all their collaborations from Sports Illustrated to Gatorade commercials.
Melz Grillz has been a blessing because I’ve been able to fine-tune my creative direction and make mistakes on my own dime. Even with the custom grillz designs, I study a person’s brand and socials to create designs that I hope would best suit them. I enjoy the freedom of designing and the reaction I get when people love my designs. My most proud moments have been on two separate occasions. In September 2022, we designed and sold our most expensive piece to date to Karlous Miller of the 85 South Show. We created a 6 on 6 piece set of blue diamonds that was DAZZLING! My second proudest moment was recently. We sent a care package to Coach Prime out in Colorado and his family including custom renderings which in turn landed us a private call from Coach Prime and his eldest son Deion Jr. where they praised the gift and my custom renderings I created for each member of his family.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I actually stepped away from Melz Grillz for an entire year in 2021. My mother and I were at odds and I left Melz as a result of our rift. It was only back in May 2022 where I came back on board full time and since then we have experienced tremendous growth. God has blessed our unity in fighting for our shared vision. Melz Grillz cannot run without both parties present.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melz.grillz/
- Twitter: @MelzGrillz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDeczcoV6jBymjDznoXw57g
Image Credits
Shaquille Kokumo
