Not sure if I should post here or the mods section, but I figured I'll try here as I assume there's a wider readership.
Is there a relatively uncomplicated way of renaming items I buy or find? Eg I'd like my "necklace of peerless alchemy" renamed to "Alchemy necklace" for quicker identification in the inventory menu.

Without mods, no. Unless someone has a name changing mod, it won't happen.

Thanks

You can rename any armor/weapon/clothing/jewelry at a Enchanting Table. First though you must select the item, then the enchantment(s), then the soul gem. Once you have selected all of those press Y (Xbox 360) or triangle (PS3) and it will open a text menu where you can add a new name. So basically yes you can rename items but only to items which you can enchant. So basically everything other then special items.