University of Regina alumna Rachel Mielke started with a passion for designing classic but bold jewellery. In just a few years she turned her hobby into a successful, internationally-acclaimed business. Today, the Regina-based company Hillberg & Berk does $1 million in annual sales and adorns celebrities including Michelle Obama, Sarah McLachlan and Celine Dion. The jewellery is sold through exclusive boutiques, galleries, stores, and online. Over the past three years the company has grown (the number of staff has quadrupled) and Hillberg & Berk's first store will open this fall. Equally important, Mielke says, is that Hillberg & Berk now competes as one of the strongest designer jewellery lines in Canada.