If you look behind the garnets in Anglo-Saxon jewelry you will often find gold foil scribed at several hundred lines to the inch and quite often you find the foil cross-hatched!

This gold foil, inset behind the garnets caused the garnets to "pop" in brilliance and riadiated light.

It is often speculated about the techniques used in the production of such fine work in academic journals.  It is my contention that these foiled are the works of the apprentice gold smiths, with young eyes and steady hands.  I am sure that the master gold smith would come along with his hammer and smash a good weeks work back flat with that scornful look and and announce "Do it again"