In firelight, garnets glitter. You need to see garnets in the shifting light of a fire to appreciate the life such light gives to garnets.

Anglo-Saxon goldsmiths mounted garnets to accentuate this facet of garnets. They mounted the garnet on a thin gold backing into which little pyramids had been pressed. The base of the garnet was filed into shape to fit the gold pyramid and then mounted on it. Light, passing through the garnet, hit the base pyramid of gold and then was reflected back out of the garnet, giving it a sort of double glow.

Looking at some of the intricate cloisonné work of Anglo-Saxon goldsmiths, such as the shoulder clasps excavated at Sutton Hoo, one can only marvel at the detail of the work that went into making them.