Victorian Garnet, Pearl & Paste Festoon Necklace

Dating to the Victorian era, this elaborate silver festoon necklace combines richly colored garnet cabochons with seed pearls and green paste stones in an intricate arrangement of scrolling links, floral clusters, and suspended elements.

The silver framework is ornamented with niello, a dark decorative treatment that creates striking contrast against the metal. Niello is an ancient decorative metalworking technique in which a dark metallic compound is worked into engraved or recessed areas of a metal surface, creating permanent black or dark-colored ornamentation.