then the next stone ,” he says . “ Today , … we purchase a lot of our stones at the Tucson Gem Show and I go and I ’ m like a kid in a candy store — the world ’ s most expensive candy store . And I just love it . It ’ s my passion . And I was very lucky to find my passion early in life .”
TOP ROW : SARA REY PHOTOGRAPHY ; BOTTOM : COURTESY OF ADAM NEELEY DESIGNS INC .
TO SLEEP , PERCHANCE TO DREAM He offers both a fine jewelry collection , where he re-creates a few of his most popular pieces for people to buy , as well as high jewelry , which he often enters in competitions . Designs sometimes come to him in dreams . The key to capturing that idea , he says , is waking up during the dream and sketching the design before it fades from memory . Take , for example , his Nautilus earrings : Reminiscent of a shell shape , they are made of SpectraGold and outlined in different colored pearls for an ombre effect .
Neeley ’ s Tonna Galea earrings also came to him while sleeping . “ There ’ s a particular shell in Greece called the Tonna galea … and I actually brought one home with me and cut it open ,” he says . “ And inside , you get this wonderful spiraling of the shell , which is so cool . And so I had gone to bed with the shell right next to me — kind of planting the seed .”
And the dream did come , leading to the earrings made of SpectraGold and mimicking the curves of the shell , accented along the edges with glittering diamonds . In Neeley ’ s further research , he made a fun discovery : If you plot this shell ’ s shape on X and Y axes , it ’ s the same as the harmonic series if mapped out as sound waves . So this idea of the parallel between music that you hear and jewelry worn on the ear added another layer of intrigue to the design . Neeley started to release the brandnew Tonna Galea earrings and other Greekinspired pieces in the Cyclades Collection over the past few weeks and will continue rolling them out through the end of September .
He also plans to introduce a new titanium collection next year , possibly in spring . Embracing aerospace technology , Neeley uses the computer to create designs that are produced by a 3D printer with a kind of metal typically reserved for space shuttles and satellite parts . He was drawn to titanium because it ’ s strong and lightweight — meaning large , dramatic earrings are more comfortable to wear — and it can be made in vibrant hues . In this way , he continues to push boundaries .
GIVING BACK Neeley also seeks to encourage today ’ s youth . In late May , he founded an educational
Neeley ’ s XOX pearl and yellow gold ring ( top left ), Tonna Galea earrings ( top right ) and his exhibit , “ Modern Alchemy ,” at Laguna Art Museum ( bottom )
nonprofit called Gorgeous Little Things to instill in children an appreciation for gemstones and minerals — Earth ’ s geologic marvels — and the art of contemporary jewelry . “ Going into the art world is a little less known than becoming a lawyer or a dentist ,” Neeley says . “ And so I ’ m seeing , generationally , our industry is shrinking a lot — the jewelry industry itself [ and ] the art industry . … And so I want to inspire those next generations to take that leap if they feel this is something that could be their life ’ s passion .”
The nonprofit is , in part , a nod to his mother ’ s career as a teacher . For his recent exhibit , Neeley worked with Laguna Art Museum to create educational programming that will eventually be incorporated in curricula for grades K-12 that teachers can download from the nonprofit ’ s website , gorgeouslittlethings . org , to use in schools across the country .
And , leading up to Neeley ’ s exhibit , the
nonprofit paid for the creation of special display cases that were donated to the museum to use in future exhibits . Also in collaboration with the museum , the nonprofit sponsored an outing , Art Access : Dig for Gems with Adam Neeley , which took a group of children and adults to the Oceanview Mine in San Diego County in June . Neeley anticipates offering other events and outings in coming months .
“ In addition , the nonprofit will begin to amass a collection of gems and jewelry that will be available for museums and other educational institutions to be exhibited or showcased and then eventually donated ,” Neeley says . “… We ’ re hoping that legacy continues beyond us .” /
ADAM NEELEY FINE ART JEWELRY 352 N . COAST HIGHWAY 949-715-0953 ; ADAMNEELEY . COM
LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 27