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Taylor and Mackinley Hill, Stone Fruit
Photo courtesy of Stone Fruit
Growing up, supermodel Taylor Hill was inseparable from her sister Mackinley—the two even shared a room. Their mother once built a wall in her master bedroom to give the girls their own spaces, but she kept finding them in the same bed come morning. “One day, we were like, ‘Mom, please tear down the wall,’” Mackinley recalls. When Taylor was scouted at 14 and moved away from home, however, she felt distanced from Mackinley for the first time. “We love to joke that I went to the school of life,” Taylor says. The experience made her grow up fast, and as her career took off, the sisters’ closeness waned. [instagram-oembed url=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DSMO4Knk0Zu/?img_index=1″ /] Fifteen years later, they’ve rekindled it—thanks to their newly launched jewellery brand, Stone Fruit. Fuelled by Taylor’s industry knowledge and Mackinley’s artistic vision, the label was inspired by some of their earliest memories of sneaking into their mother’s armoire and admiring her treasure trove of rings, earrings and bangles. “We always remind people ‘We’re sisters—not twins,’” says Mackinley. She wears bold statements, while Taylor prefers dainty layering. As a result, their eclectic demi-fine designs are colourful, stackable and imbued with mixed-metal personality. Chunkier shapes are inspired by their American West roots, and the recurring motif of three is a nod to their upbringing in a trio of sisters. “I love the idea that someone might look at our pieces and think of their siblings or their mom,” says Taylor. To illustrate this point, Mackinley picks up a turquoise dangling earring that once belonged to her grandma. “Jewellery holds memories,” she says. “It tells a story. Through every phase of life, we want our pieces to spark delight.”
Stone Fruit Core Ring
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Anne Sportun and Haley Woodbury, Anne Sportun
Photography by Aaron Wynia
Growing up in Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood, Haley Woodbury lived within walking distance of her mother Anne Sportun’s eponymous fine-jewellery boutique. She began working there part-time and got more involved over the years. In 2020, at the age of 27, she became a partner, taking over the business side while Sportun focused on most of the designing. Now, Woodbury lives down the street from her mom—both are around the corner from work. “We are close in every way,” she laughs. Talking about it, Sportun tears up. “I trust her implicitly with this brand,” she says. Collaborating professionally was a risk. “I didn’t know if Haley could do it,” Sportun admits. “I thought I would have to support her more.” In turn, Woodbury worried that her mom might be overbearing. “I wasn’t sure if she would micromanage or hover over me.” But in practice, they struck gold. “I’m an artist, and I’m very intuitive,” says Sportun. “Haley balances that: She’s rational, numbers-based. We understand each other.” The almost-40-year-old brand sells handmade pieces spanning sapphire rings, beaded necklaces and topaz teardrop earrings that last beyond a lifetime. “They’re meant to be heirlooms,” notes Woodbury.
Photo courtesy of Anne Sportun
Their biggest challenge is when boundaries get blurred. “The shop comes into a lot of our conversations,” Sportun says. “It’s like: ‘Are we talking about work now? Or are we talking about Thanksgiving dinner?’” It’s something they’re learning to separate, especially since Woodbury has just had a daughter of her own. “I don’t know that she’ll grow up and want to be my business partner,” she says. “But, man, I do hope she likes me as much as I like my mom.”
Anne Sportun Emerald Dew Drop Bonheur Necklace
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Trang Wong and Chau Lui, Celi
Photography by Kayla Rocca
For Trang Wong and Chau Lui, jewellery was formative. As young girls emigrating from Vietnam in 1985, they often visited their parents’ boutique, watching their mom use a Vietnamese-to-English dictionary to be able to help customers. “We’ll never forget the community that took a chance on a family who didn’t speak English, who didn’t have an established brand, who didn’t have anything,” says Lui. Today, she and Wong run that company—Paris Jewellers—which boasts 23 locations across Canada. Their reverence for the jewellery business led them to start Celi, a solid-gold fine-accessories shop with a bricks-and-mortar location in Toronto. Though the sisters are very close, it’s their differences that make the partnership work. “Chau is our big dreamer, our visionary,” says Wong, “whereas I am more focused on accounting, finance—the behind the scenes.” Key to their success is trust: Even when things go wrong, they never point fingers. “We always say we win together or we fail together,” says Lui. “Once we make a decision, we are committed to seeing it through.”
Photography courtesy of CELI
As for their brand vision, Wong and Lui want to create a welcoming experience that reflects the warmth they felt in their parents’ jewellery shop when they were kids. Selling everything from diamond-studded tennis bracelets to sleek gold hoops, they hope their pieces evoke a feeling of celebration. “Our goal is that anyone could come into our store and walk out feeling happier, whether they purchased something or not,” says Lui. The sisters share equal responsibilities as co-founders—and they wouldn’t have it any other way. “People say being a leader can be isolating, but I never really feel alone,” Lui reflects. “Good days are super great and bad days are not as hard—because we have each other.”
Celi 16″ Yellow Gold Rolo Chain
[cta affiliate=”skimlinks” align=”center” format=”button” url=”https://www.shopceli.com/products/rolo-chain-16in-neygch029″]Shop Now[/cta] This article first appeared in FASHION’s Winter 2026 issue. Find out more here. Continue Reading
