Four faceted garnets fall into a tight, geometric composition in this vermeil pendant. Each facet catches the light differently, and the stone's deep, saturated red shifts shade with the smallest movement - from dark purple to a hot, vivid hue. Garnet has long been associated with vitality and passion, and its colour comes through most fully in the faceted cut, worn close to the skin, along the neckline. The pendant's classic form doesn't distract from the stone - the stone is what leads the eye.

We select the garnets for this pendant one by one, examining the colour and clarity of each stone before it goes into its setting. Silver and precious metals are rising in price, and good stones are becoming scarcer, so this price for a carefully chosen garnet in solid craftsmanship makes sense today. The pendant's base is refined European silver 925 - it's the fineness mark that confirms the purity of the alloy, free of nickel and harmful additives. An eighteen-carat gold layer has been applied over the silver in line with the French vermeil standard, confirmed by the struck V mark - it's the gold, not the silver, that touches the skin, giving a smooth, refined surface. The piece is completed by the maker's mark struck on the silver, registered with the French assay office.

A pendant like this sits well in an everyday, urban look: worn under a white shirt with an open collar, paired with plain jeans and a leather jacket, it takes on an unexpected character. An open neckline lets the garnets play fully with colour against light fabric. This is a medium-sized pendant weighing 0.8 grams - light on the skin but striking to the eye, close to French classicism, where a simple metal form steps aside to let the stone's colour take the lead.