Brooches were worn throughout the medieval period. Ring-brooches were the most widely used type and survive most commonly, as before the widespread use of buttons, they were necessary to fasten garments. From the beginning of the fifteenth century onwards however, goldsmiths began to make brooches in much more elaborate and three-dimensional forms. These brooches were often set with gems or pearls, and coloured using the en ronde bosse enamelling technique, but very few examples of this sort have survived.

The spinel and diamonds set in this gold brooch indicate the taste and wealth of the brooch's owner but would also have held a greater significance. Diamonds were highly valued because their hardness and lustre surpassed that of any other gemstone. The two surviving diamonds in this brooch are still in their natural octahedral form, polished but not faceted. The square collets in which they are set follow the form of the crystal and exaggerate the size of the gem. The central spinel has been polished to improve its surface lustre and remove imperfections but is also not faceted. It was originally set over a tinted metal foil which would have made it appear a richer colour. The three gold rods around the edges of the jewel are set over concave cusped gold. We believe that two pearls were originally threaded onto the rods above these cusped spaces. As pearls are organic, they would have deteriorated in the soil and been lost.

Medieval texts known as lapidaries list the properties associated with gemstones. Diamonds were linked to strength and eternity due to the belief that they could not be broken or destroyed, red stones such as spinels and rubies symbolized passion but were also associated with good health and pearls were associated with purity. Jewels such as this brooch therefore served to protect and support the wearer as well as add a fashionable note to their clothing.

Jewellery, especially rings and brooches, was a popular gift between lovers and friends. John Heywood's 'Playe called the Four PP' of 1544 lists items vital for those who 'love would win', including 'brooches, rings and all manner of beads'. Brooches were worn by both men and women, used to pin gowns together, or set on the shoulder attaching strings of pearls as seen in the portrait of Bianca Maria Visconti, Duchess of Milan (Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera) or sometimes pinned to a hat or cap.

This brooch was found in the ground near Brigstock, formerly part of an enormous area set aside as a royal forest. Northamptonshire was a particularly good place for deer hunting and many of its forests were covered by 'forest law' which restricted hunting of boar and venison (red deer and fallow deer) to the monarch, his or her hunting party and high ranking persons given a special dispensation to do so. Landowners were also permitted to create their own private deer parks on payment of a substantial amount to the Crown. Two deer parks were created in the manor of Brigstock in the early 13th century - the Great Park and Little Park, close to the findspot of this brooch. Deer hunting was a fashionable courtly pursuit - the hunting party might include the monarch and a large and brightly dressed retinue. Surviving tapestries often show hunting, depicted as an occasion for sport, but also an opportunity for flirtation and romance.