This necklet was the first piece of contemporary jewellery that the V&A commissioned. This choice recognised Gerda Flöckinger’s pre-eminence in the emerging alternative jewellery scene in London. Born in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1927, she emigrated to Britain in 1938. She studied fine art at St Martin's School of Art, and jewellery and enamels at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. On leaving in 1956, she took the then highly unusual decision to work as an independent designer and maker. In 1962 she established a pioneering course in experimental jewellery at Hornsey School of Art. Many of the next generation of British artist-jewellers were taught there.

Flöckinger’s early work was distinguished by strong abstract forms with flat, polished surfaces. This gave way in the 1960s to organic, molten swirls of fused gold or silver set with glowing gemstones or subtly shaded pearls, a distinctive combination that has come to typify her work. Characteristic is the rich surface textures she achieves, often enhanced by swirls and grains on the molten surface.