Gaspeite is a rare apple-green to lime-green mineral, a nickel carbonate often veined with brown host rock. Named for the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec where it was identified, most gem-quality gaspeite comes from Western Australia. Its vivid green makes it a distinctive accent in Southwestern silver jewelry.
Gaspeite is an uncommon nickel carbonate mineral with an unmistakable yellow-green to apple-green color, frequently marbled with a brown limonite matrix not unlike turquoise's veining. That bright, almost electric green sets it apart from nearly every other stone used in Southwestern jewelry.
It takes its name from the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada, where it was first identified, but the material used in jewelry comes mostly from nickel-mining regions of Western Australia. Because it occurs only where nickel deposits surface in the right form, gem-grade gaspeite is genuinely scarce.
Gaspeite entered Southwestern jewelry relatively recently and is used much as turquoise is — cut into cabochons and inlay and set in silver. Its green pairs boldly with the red of coral and spiny oyster and the blue of turquoise, and a single gaspeite stone makes a strong, modern statement against sterling. Its color is so saturated that even a small gaspeite accent draws the eye, so it tends to appear as a single focal stone rather than in a row, and it is sometimes paired deliberately with red coral for a vivid, complementary contrast.
Like turquoise, gaspeite can be porous and is sometimes stabilized for durability, so its treatment should be disclosed. It also has imitators — dyed materials sold as gaspeite — so the same buying discipline applies. Keep it away from chemicals and water and clean it gently.
Because it is uncommon and easily imitated, buy gaspeite from a seller who identifies it accurately, states any treatment, and names the maker. Its rarity is part of its appeal, but only when the stone is genuine.