Gaspeite and Heishi Santo Domingo Necklace

Our Gaspeite and Heishi Santo Domingo Necklace is a celebration of one extraordinary material, allowing its remarkable green color to tell the entire story. Handmade for us by a female Santo Domingo (Kewa) Pueblo artisan, this necklace is composed of multiple strands of finely shaped heishi beads in luminous shades of apple green, chartreuse, and warm olive. Look closely and no two beads are exactly alike, the subtle natural variations give the strands movement and an unmistakably handmade character.

Gaspeite is an unusual and increasingly prized stone in Southwestern jewelry. First identified near Gaspé, Quebec, and later famously mined in Western Australia, it is recognized by its distinctive yellow-green to bright apple-green coloring, often accompanied by earthy brown matrix. Significant sources have become limited, making fine gaspeite increasingly difficult to obtain. Native American artists embraced the stone particularly in the late twentieth century, where its electric green became a striking companion to turquoise, coral, shell, and silver. In this necklace, however, gaspeite stands beautifully on its own.

The simplicity of the design also brings attention to the remarkable heishi tradition of Santo Domingo Pueblo. For generations, Kewa artisans have been renowned for transforming stone and shell into tiny, carefully shaped beads. Creating heishi requires patience and an experienced hand: pieces are cut, drilled, shaped, ground, polished, and finally strung so they flow together almost seamlessly. The finished necklace may appear effortless, but behind that elegance are countless individual beads and hours of meticulous work.

For Jean Marie, commissioning pieces like this is deeply personal. She works closely with the artisan, a relationship built around friendship, conversation, respect for her craft, and a shared excitement for beautiful materials. When they chose gaspeite for this necklace, the idea was to let its extraordinary color remain the focus. The result is wonderfully understated yet impossible to overlook, a piece connecting Jean Marie’s love of rare stones with generations of Santo Domingo artistry and the hands of the woman who made it especially for us.

Number of Strands: 3

Made in USA 

Length 17.5" with clasp