ABOUT ADAM NEELEY
ABOUT
ADAM NEELEY
an Innovative Career
American designer Adam Neeley is breaking boundaries in the contemporary jewelry space and defining the next generation of high jewelers. Neeley, a master goldsmith, has developed a new genre of work that has captured a global audience of sophisticated collectors. Striking a delicate balance of old-world craftsmanship with modern innovation, his jewelry combines rich artistry and exceptional design with cutting-edge techniques and groundbreaking materials, including inventing multiple new proprietary gold alloys.
Adam’s artistic journey is eloquently chronicled in a compelling feature article by The New York Times. Titled “Jewelry Designs Come to Him in a Kind of Dream,” this insightful piece offers a captivating exploration of Adam’s evolution as an artist, delving deeply into the inspiration behind his captivating works and the transformative nature of his creative process.
An Innovative Career
American designer Adam Neeley is breaking boundaries in the contemporary jewelry space and defining the next generation of high jewelers. Neeley, a master goldsmith, has developed a new genre of work that has captured a global audience of sophisticated collectors. Striking a delicate balance of old-world craftsmanship with modern innovation, his jewelry combines rich artistry and exceptional design with cutting-edge techniques and groundbreaking materials, including inventing multiple new proprietary gold alloys.
Adam’s artistic journey is eloquently chronicled in a compelling feature article by The New York Times. Titled “Jewelry Designs Come to Him in a Kind of Dream,” this insightful piece offers a captivating exploration of Adam’s evolution as an artist, delving deeply into the inspiration behind his captivating works and the transformative nature of his creative process.
fiore del mare ring
Tahitian Pearl Trophy
formative years
After a prodigious early jewelry-making career, Neeley earned his Graduate Gemologist degree from GIA. In Florence, Italy he studied at Le Arti Orafe where he apprenticed under master goldsmith Gio Carbone. At age 23, Neeley established his flagship atelier in Laguna Beach, CA, in 2006. His work has been featured in museums nationwide, including the Smithsonian Institution. In 2024, the Laguna Art Museum presented a 25-year retrospective showcasing over 100 works of Neeley’s wearable fine art.
FORMATIVE YEARS
After a prodigious early jewelry-making career, Neeley earned his Graduate Gemologist degree from GIA. In Florence, Italy he studied at Le Arti Orafe where he apprenticed under master goldsmith Gio Carbone. At age 23, Neeley established his flagship atelier in Laguna Beach, CA, in 2006. His work has been featured in museums nationwide, including the Smithsonian Institution. In 2024, the Laguna Art Museum presented a 25-year retrospective showcasing over 100 works of Neeley’s wearable fine art.
fiore del mare ring
Tahitian Pearl Trophy Award
design aesthetic
Neeley’s unique style highlights extraordinary gemstones within graceful, modern forms. Influences from nature and art, to modern architecture and fashion, inspire him to create abstract interpretations into precious jewelry. Neeley’s ongoing design philosophy is to explore a narrative in each piece of wearable art.
Captivate Pin
MJSA Vision Awards
DESIGN AESTHETIC
Neeley’s unique style highlights extraordinary gemstones within graceful, modern forms. Influences from nature and art, to modern architecture and fashion, inspire him to create abstract interpretations into precious jewelry. Neeley’s ongoing design philosophy is to explore a narrative in each piece of wearable art.
Captivate Pearl Pin
MJSA Vision Awards
metallurgy
Harnessing years of alloying expertise, he created SpectraGold™, a mesmerizing gradient alloy that seamlessly transitions from rich yellow gold into purest white gold. Each individual piece must be hand-fused and forged, requiring 80+ hours of painstaking workmanship to produce.
Neeley has also invented three other unique gold alloys including; a peachy-champagne AlbaGold™, cool green VeraGold™, and fiery red RevaGold™.
Metallurgy
Harnessing years of alloying expertise, he created SpectraGold™, a mesmerizing gradient alloy that seamlessly transitions from rich yellow gold into purest white gold. Each individual piece must be hand-fused and forged, requiring 80+ hours of painstaking workmanship to produce.
Neeley has also invented three other unique gold alloys including; a peachy-champagne AlbaGold, cool green VeraGold, and fiery red RevaGold.
“Through many years and hundreds of experiments, I have developed and perfected unique shades and gradients of gold. My purpose is to use these distinctive gold hues and precious gemstones as my
palette to create unparalleled jewelry masterpieces.”
– Adam Neeley
“Through many years and hundreds of experiments, I have developed and perfected unique shades and gradients of gold. My purpose is to use these distinctive gold hues and precious gemstones as my
palette to create unparalleled jewelry masterpieces.”
– Adam Neeley
NATURAL INSPIRATION
The natural bounty of Neeley’s native Colorado inspired his curiosity from a young age. Some of his earliest memories include time spent in the garden with his mother. Caring for plants also meant admiring their beauty. Each exquisitely proportioned flower and the concert of colors in a garden evidenced nature’s magnificence. Replete with elegant forms and harmonious color combinations, the living world radiates intrinsic beauty.
Galassia Tanzanite Earrings
AGTA Spectrum Awards
NATURAL INSPIRATION
The natural bounty of Neeley’s native Colorado inspired his curiosity from a young age. Some of his earliest memories include time spent in the garden with his mother. Caring for plants also meant admiring their beauty. Each exquisitely proportioned flower and the concert of colors in a garden evidenced nature’s magnificence. Replete with elegant forms and harmonious color combinations, the living world radiates intrinsic beauty.
“Adam Neeley, artist, jeweler, and alchemist, creates jewelry that is forged from an imagination stimulated by the sensuous beauty found in nature. His designs transcend the boundaries of conventional jewelry to create wearable art that is unique and intriguing.”
-Timothy Adams, Curator & Jewelry Historian
“Adam Neeley, artist, jeweler, and alchemist, creates jewelry that is forged from an imagination stimulated by the sensuous beauty found in nature. His designs transcend the boundaries of conventional jewelry to create wearable art that is unique and intriguing.”
-Timothy Adams, Curator & Jewelry Historian
AWARD-WINNING DESIGN
Neeley’s honors and distinctions include 13 AGTA Spectrum Awards, 2 AGTA Cutting Edge Awards, 11 MJSA Vision Awards, 2 Tahitian Pearl Trophies and 2 President’s Trophies & a Vision Award from the CPAA, a Saul Bell Design Award, and more than a dozen top of category and Best of Show honors at fine art shows around the country. As a member of the American Jewelry Design Council, Neeley works with other top American designers to advance jewelry as an art form. His work has been featured in museums and his piece “South Sea Glow” is a part of the Smithsonian Institution’s permanent collection.
south sea glow pendant
Smithsonian Museum Collection
south sea glow pendant
Smithsonian Museum Collection
AWARD-WINNING DESIGN
Neeley’s honors and distinctions include 13 AGTA Spectrum Awards, 2 AGTA Cutting Edge Awards, 11 MJSA Vision Awards, 2 Tahitian Pearl Trophies and 2 President’s Trophies & a Vision Award from the CPAA, a Saul Bell Design Award, and more than a dozen top of category and Best of Show honors at fine art shows around the country. As a member of the American Jewelry Design Council, Neeley works with other top American designers to advance jewelry as an art form. His work has been featured in museums and his piece “South Sea Glow” is a part of the Smithsonian Institution’s permanent collection.
Modern Alchemy Museum Exhibition
As jewelry has gained recognition as an art form, Modern Alchemy, a 25-year retrospective of Neeley’s wearable fine art was presented at the Laguna Art Museum in 2024. This solo exhibition featured more than 100 works by the internationally recognized and award-winning jeweler exploring his creative working processes, history, and innovative gold-smithing techniques.
Modern Alchemy Museum Exhibition
As jewelry has gained recognition as an art form, Modern Alchemy, a 25-year retrospective of Neeley’s wearable fine art was presented at the Laguna Art Museum in 2024. This solo exhibition featured more than 100 works by the internationally recognized and award-winning jeweler exploring his creative working processes, history, and innovative gold-smithing techniques.
“Through this exhibition, we aim to draw attention to the art form of jewelry, which is a culmination of sculptural, kinetic and performative qualities. This is wearable art, alive with movement, that transcends any utilitarian purpose and invites viewers to be captivated by its glittering materials.”
– Julie Perlin Lee, Executive Director, Laguna Art Museum
aria tourmaline earrings
AGTA Spectrum Awards
aria tourmaline earrings
AGTA Spectrum Award-Winner
“Through this exhibition, we aim to draw attention to the art form of jewelry, which is a culmination of sculptural, kinetic and performative qualities. This is wearable art, alive with movement, that transcends any utilitarian purpose and invites viewers to be captivated by its glittering materials.”
– Julie Perlin Lee, Executive Director, Laguna Art Museum
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