Mario Saba began his career as an apprentice at Bulgari, the great jewellery house in Rome from 1962-67. He then came to London and worked as an independent designer with his own company Forum Jewellery. He opened a shop in Sloane Street in 1980 and later moving to Hatton Garden. He won numerous awards, most notably the Diamonds International Award in 1978 and the 'Best Design in Gold' award at the UK 1996 Jewellery Awards. He is represented in the permanent collection of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London.

The brooch's delicate, swirling ribbons are cast in gold, their forms created by hot wax which has been extruded through a tube. The method was developed by Mario Saba and the collection he based on this technique was launched in Geneva in 1994. Coming from a traditional fine jewellery background, the brooch illustrates the widespread contemporary fascination with texture in precious metals. The principal stone is an amethyst which was cut in Brazil. Saba selected the stone before creating the brooch, inspired by the movement expressed in its spiral cut.