Since the dawn of time, jewellery has been symbolic. An icon that resonates with an emotion, or passage in time. This is exactly how the story of Embers & Maple Jewellery began. Founder Alex created not just a business, but something that embellished her own tribulations. From humble beginnings in creating her own handmade bracelets, alongside her daughter, the visionary of the brand transformed to designer jewellery that symbolises the emotional landscape we all venture through. A physical form of articulation, that links the wearer to something they treasure.
Through carefully curated gemstones and a slow, deliberate process, Alex inspires those to look within the jewellery and its meaning. To look beyond its vibrant outer layer. We spoke with Alex about the journey behind Embers & Maple and the powerful story woven into every design.
The story behind Embers & Maple began during an incredibly emotional chapter for your family. Can you share what that time looked like and how jewellery-making became part of your journey through it?
When my middle daughter Sammi was four, she became critically unwell and was rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne with a dangerous build-up of fluid around her right lung and heart. At the time, doctors were unable to determine the cause of this and what followed was a 188-day admission and one of the longest and most uncertain chapters of our lives.
Drains were inserted into Sammi’s chest to remove the fluid, which was accumulating at up to four litres a day. After months of testing and an international collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Sammi was eventually diagnosed with Kaposiform Lymphangiomatosis (KLA), a very rare and aggressive disease affecting the lymphatic system, caused by a genetic mutation that triggers lymphatic vessels to expand and invade organs, bones, and in Sammi’s case, fill her chest cavity with fluid.
Despite how seriously ill she was, for most of her time in hospital Sammi was stable enough to stay in her hospital bed and interact with us. Making jewellery started as something small we could do together, a way to connect and take our minds off the long, uncertain days. We began making friendship bracelets for her favourite nurses and doctors, choosing colours, adding little charms, personalising each one.
It helped Sammi build real trust and genuine friendships with her care team. Pretty quickly, it became a known thing on the ward, nurses would line up for their bracelet. There was this unspoken understanding, if you had one of Sammi’s bracelets, you were her friend. And because Sammi is just one of those kids who radiates joy, everyone who met her wanted to be part of her little gang.
You began by making bracelets for the doctors, nurses and loved ones supporting your family. At what moment did you realise this could become something more than a gesture of gratitude?
I didn’t realise the friendship bracelets would become something more until after Sammi was well enough to come home. It was such a beautiful way to connect with the people who were so special to us during her admission and my husband actually did suggest I start selling them while she was still in hospital, it didn’t feel like the right time.
It wasn’t until we came home and life started to regain some sense of normality that I began to see the potential for it to become something more. Starting this label was my way of taking something incredibly traumatic and turning it into something meaningful. It became a way for me to cope, to heal, and to grow through it all. There’s so much growth, beauty, and strength that comes from surviving the hard days, even when you don’t see it at the time.
The name Embers & Maple carries symbolic meaning. Can you share the meaning behind both words and how they reflect your daughter Sammi’s story?
The name Embers & Maple is deeply personal to our family. It ties directly to Sammi, her illness, and our time in hospital. Embers represents the light we refused to let go out while she was so incredibly sick, the quiet, steady belief we held onto, even on the hardest days when she was on a ventilator in ICU barely holding on, that she would make it through.
Maple is for Sammi. Her full name is Samara, which is the name for the winged seeds of the maple tree. Those seeds are symbols of resilience, hope, and strength, everything she embodies.
Alex and her daughter Sammi
Sammi has clearly shaped the heart of this brand. In what ways does she continue to inspire the pieces you create today?
Sammi’s journey was the inspiration behind Embers & Maple, but in a lot of ways, the story belongs to all of us.
The quiet strength my oldest daughter showed during Sammi’s hospital admission, she was only six, yet she stepped up and nurtured her little brother, who turned two while Sammi was in hospital. Watching all three of them, their resilience, their love for each other, their courage, reminded me that connection and the small, ordinary moments are never something to take for granted.
That feeling hasn’t left me. I find inspiration in them every single day, in their proud faces when they achieve something, in the joy they find in things we’ve long stopped noticing as adults. My oldest picked up a gemstone I was working with yesterday and told me the pattern looked like the back of a beautiful blue turtle and it was just so sweet. Their poetic, innocent way of seeing the world adds a beauty that’s so easy to overlook when you’re an adult.
They’re involved in the little ways too, helping name pieces, pointing out patterns in stones, getting genuinely excited about what I’m making. That energy finds its way into everything I create.
My children are the heart and soul of this label, in every sense. I wanted to create pieces that remind people of who they love, what they’ve been through, and the strength it took to get there. Pieces they can wear close to their heart and reach for on the hard days. Something to ground them, or remind them of their purpose and the reasons they keep going.
Every Embers & Maple piece feels like it holds intention. How do you approach designing jewellery that represents memory, connection and resilience?
Every Embers & Maple piece is designed with intention at its core. I create slowly and thoughtfully, pouring care into every detail so each piece feels as meaningful as it is beautiful.
I spend a lot of time researching the gemstones I use, not just how they look, but what they represent and how their energy can connect with the person wearing them. I want my jewellery to be more than just pretty, it needs to truly resonate, feel personal and tell the story of the wearer.
There’s something incredibly powerful about honouring your own journey and being able to wear a piece that reflects your strength, your growth and everything you’ve overcome to become who you are today. Whether it’s a zodiac charm that connects you to your star sign, a gemstone that brings calm and clarity on overwhelming days, or charms that represent the people who lift you up and remind you of your “why”, each piece becomes a quiet source of empowerment.
That’s what I think about when I design, not just how it looks, but how it makes you feel.
Your collections are intentionally released in limited numbers. Why was it important to you to keep the brand slow, thoughtful and handcrafted from the beginning?
Slowness is a really important part of my process. Nothing I make is rushed, because it can’t be. Every piece is made by hand, and that naturally takes time and care. However, it’s more than just the physical making. Slowness gives me the space to be intentional with what I create. To think about the materials, the meaning behind each piece, and the story it might hold for someone else. I’m not interested in mass-producing jewellery just for the sake of it. I want each piece to feel considered and personal.
I also think there’s something really special about knowing your piece is unique and wasn’t made in a hurry. That it was created slowly, with purpose, by someone who genuinely cares about what it represents. In a world that moves so fast, I think slowness brings it back to what really matters.
You handmake each piece while raising three children. What has building Embers & Maple alongside motherhood taught you about creativity and purpose?
Building Embers & Maple alongside motherhood has taught me that creativity doesn’t need perfect conditions to exist, it just needs purpose.
Some days, it looks like creating in small pockets of time between kinder and school pick-up, or after Saturday morning sports, tag-teaming life with my husband. This little label is deeply connected to real life, motherhood and womanhood and in some ways, I think that’s what allows me to build such genuine connections with my community on socials and beyond.
Motherhood has shaped everything about how I create. It’s shown me what truly matters, connection, love, resilience and those are the things I pour into every piece.
It’s also taught me that purpose and passion can grow alongside each other. My children are such a big part of my why and building this brand has always been about more than just jewellery. It’s about creating something that reflects strength, tells stories, and shows my kids what it looks like to build something with heart and soul.
It isn’t always been easy and there are definitely moments of overwhelm, worry, and the constant juggle, but it’s made me more intentional, more resilient and more certain that what I’m creating truly matters. I really hope people can feel that in every piece I make, because I’ve poured so much of myself into this business.
When someone chooses to wear a piece from Embers & Maple, what do you hope they feel or remember each time they put it on?
When someone wears a piece from Embers & Maple, I hope they feel a connection to their own story, to the people they love, and to the moments that have shaped them. I want them to feel seen, remembered, and empowered, knowing that what they’re wearing carries meaning and intention. I want people who wear my pieces to know that it’s not just jewellery, it’s a reminder of strength, love, and resilience, and hopefully a little spark of joy every time they put it on.
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