In the 1970s Julia Manheim made rings and bracelets of silver combined with carved ivory, ebony or mother-of-pearl, of which there are two rings in the V&A collection. A turning point in her approach became evident in the early 1980s. Together with her avant-garde contemporaries she explored jewellery as body sculpture in non-precious materials. In her most acclaimed collection, 'Wire Wear', she explored the 'edges of where jewellery meets clothing' through body jewellery made of plastic-coated steel wire.

Manheim pushed the boundaries of jewellery in scale and wearability to the limits, then moved on to making large scale abstract sculptures of papier mâché or wire. The use of papier mâché goes back to 1983 when Manheim worked with children in this material. It is now the preferred medium in her recent sculptural work.

The artist has developed a wide range of colour and expressive painterly effects in her work with paper, as is exemplified in this necklace. The pieces makes a strong sculptural statement, and as with Manheim's work contributes to the debate about jewellery as a free art form.