C. R. Ashbee was a man of immense talents and energy and a defining figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement. In 1888 he founded the Guild of Handicraft in the East End of London with the intention of reviving traditional craft skills and providing satisfying employment in a deprived area of the city. Trained originally as an architect, he is known also for his highly innovative furniture, metalwork, silver and jewellery designs.

Unusually for a piece of Arts and Crafts jewellery, this necklace incorporates many cut stones into its design. Jewels dominated by cut stones were often considered by those in the Movement to be rather flashy and unimaginative. However this piece avoids looking conventional or commercial by combining the faceted peridots with unevenly shaped pearls and unusual gold settings.