Darah Hubbard
Haley Naegele has found an unexpected outlet for expressing her creativity and faith: jewelry design. Through her new brand, 29 AND 11, she aims to spark dialogue about spirituality.
A lifelong Fort Worthian, Naegele has worked for the federal government for nearly two decades. “My whole career has been focused on dotting i’s and crossing t’s,” she explains. It wasn’t until recent years, as her children got older, that she found herself with more time to reflect on her true passions. “There’s been this nagging voice that there’s something else out there for me,” she says.
A few years ago, during a trip to Charleston, South Carolina, a fruitless search for meaningful religious jewelry sparked an idea. Naegele realized there was a gap in the market for faith-based accessories that went beyond the traditional symbols of crosses and saints. Drawing inspiration from her personal relationship with scripture, she began to envision a jewelry line that would inspire conversations about Bible verses.
Despite having no background in jewelry design — an industry with astronomical barriers to entry — Naegele dove headfirst into the challenge. She spent six months teaching herself CAD (computer-aided design), a process many jewelers outsource to contractors, and purchased a resin 3D printer to test out her creations for scale. “My process allows me to have total creative control over what I do,” she explains. “Learning the way I did and designing the way I do have taken a bunch of middlemen out of the equation.”
Naegele officially launched 29 AND 11 in May of this year, roughly 2 1/2 years after she first spoke her vision out loud. Her signature line of elegant gold necklace pendants features two stacked circles, representing the colon between chapter and verse, with a cross in the middle. The chapter and verse numbers are displayed on the front of the pendant, while the book name is inscribed on the back. As of now, the collection consists of roughly 10 verses that Naegele chose due to their universality across circumstances and faiths.
Naegele’s mission is to create pieces that are both timeless and meaningful, complimenting any style or look with an expression of faith. “My goal is to always be that permanent piece of someone’s stack,” she says. “Whatever the trend is in five years, ours is still going to look the same.”
For now, 29 AND 11 is an online-only business. Though Naegele aspires to get into brick-and-mortar retail eventually, she is currently focused on finding her niche and growing her clientele. “[29 AND 11] has already succeeded for me,” she says. “It has been the greatest spiritual gift to be able to give something to people that inspires them and keeps them in relationship with God on the good days and the bad.”
The name 29 AND 11 stems from Naegele’s personal mantra, the Bible verse Jeremiah 29:11, which she says reminds her to “trust God and hang tight because He’s always on time.” Through her jewelry, she hopes to help others find similar comfort and connection in their faith.
“I want to make it easy for people to start the conversation,” she says. “Our goal is to stay focused on what matters, and that is your relationship with God, however you get there.”
BY THE WAY ...
Darah Hubbard
As a lifelong Fort Worthian, how would you spend your ideal day in the city?
“It’s all about where we live. I normally get up and take a walk around TCU. The energy of the campus when school is in session is so good, and I love seeing everyone prep for tailgates on game days. We live on the perfect Tanglewood street, so if the weather is right, the neighbors all migrate outside to watch their kids with a cocktail and catch up. After that, maybe an evening escape from the house for dinner — Le Margot, Quince, Press, or anywhere in the ZIP code. A nightcap on one of our neighbor’s back porches makes for the perfect end to the day.”
Do you have any favorite designers or brands that you like to style with your 29 AND 11?
“On any given day, I’m stacking a Gigi Clozeau chain and a small cross from Croghan’s in Charleston with any and all of our pendants!”
Are there any jewelry designers who have really inspired you along your journey?
“Jane Win has been a big inspiration for me because she’s been very transparent about her foray into designing and creating jewelry. I also love Harwell Godfrey, Howl Jewelry, George Rings, Vanessa Fernandez, Jo Latham, and Retrouvaí, to name a few. For Future Reference works with amazing designers, and I love them all!”
FROM THE FEED
1. 29 AND 11 trunk show in Houston.
2. Naegele’s second design is a reversible medallion with a tiered cross on the back.
3. Once files are designed in CAD, Naegele uses a 3D resin printer to sample her designs at home.
4. Naegele documents on the daily how she wears her 29 AND 11 pendants.
5. The resident model for 29 AND 11 is Wyatt Naegele, Haley’s daughter, who attends Paschal High School.
6. Dinner at the Bowie House with 29 AND 11’s CFO Ty (also Naegele’s husband) celebrating the official launch of 29 AND 11.
7. Dozens of samples Naegele produced before taking her pendants from concept to final design.
