In the Spotlight: Adam Neeley Reflects on 25 Years in the Jewelry Industry
Over the last 25 years Adam Neeley has made a name for himself in the jewelry industry with his unique, labor-intensive designs that utilize special techniques and rare stones and have garnered a loyal clientele.
Not is the fine jewelry designer slowing down, with several initiatives currently in the works including new high and fine jewelry collections and an upcoming museum retrospective that gives insight into his craft, specifically highlighting Neeley’s trademarked SpectraGold technique.
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“This gold changes color and it goes from a really rich 24-karat yellow gold color gradually through seven colors of gold into a very cool white gold,” Neeley said of the gradient effect. “This happens seamlessly and it is something I’ve been developing. It’s taken me about 186 trials to get this recipe perfected.”
Neeley developed the technique over the last 25 years, leveraging his formal training in Florence and marrying it with modern technologies. The designer explained the technique is highly labor and time intensive to get the gold to a specific color and to match the gemstones and other materials accordingly.
A set of pearl earrings, for instance, took 50 to 60 hours to create the gold base, Neeley said. He then embarked on a six-month search to find natural pearls that matched the gold colors. Neeley stated the earrings went on to win an award from the Cultured Pearl Association of America.
Neeley continued this design ethos for both of his new fine jewelry and high jewelry collections, the latter of which offers one-of-a-kind pieces that feature rare gemstones like a 15-carat orange sapphire and a Santa Maria aquamarine. The collection offers 15 pieces and took roughly five years to create, according to Neeley.
“I take a lot of inspiration from flowers, shells and being in Laguna Beach,” he said regarding the collections’ inspirations. “What I like to do is to think of it as a distillation of beauty where I’m looking at the floral form or the shell form, seeing its curves and taking a modern interpretation. I don’t want people to look at my work and say, ‘Oh, that’s a rose.’ I want to take the essence, the beauty of that rose and do an interpretation that’s unique and explores that through my work.”
The designer is celebrating the collection with a campaign featuring model Hillary Rhoda and styled by Will Kahn.
“They’re independent people that want something that no one else has,” Neeley said about his clientele. “They know their style and they are looking for something that is a contemporary form from this time period, not necessarily something that’s going to look like an antique jewel. It’s something that’s unique, and they usually have a very distinctive pull towards the pieces.”
In February, Neeley will celebrate the opening of his museum retrospective at the Laguna Art Museum, titled “Modern Alchemy.” The exhibition will give a comprehensive overview of Neeley’s career and design process, starting with his interest in natural stones as a child and moving into his jewelry-making process.
The exhibition will focus on Neeley’s various gold techniques, centering on the SpectraGold. It will also showcase many of his award-winning, unique jewelry pieces. The retrospective will run through the end of July.
Overall, Neeley believes his pieces resonate with his clientele for their unique quality and the stories behind the gemstones.
“People really respond well to the unique gold colors,” he said. “They want something that’s different. They appreciate that I use a lot of colored gems. I think people are interested in learning about the different stones, and we have a lot of collectors that we do an event every year where we bring them in and teach them about different gemstones and broaden their appreciation for those colored stones that are out there. So, telling the stories behind the gemstones and each piece of jewelry — clients love to hear what inspired you on this piece, how did you make it and where this stone came from — so, my goal is that every piece tells a story.”
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