Blackamoor brooches have been produced since the 16th Century. One of the more famous is the Gresley Jewel, a pendant created in the last half of the 1500s which consists of a locket with an onyx female blackamoor on the cover.

The most reputed centre of their creation has always been Venice. In the 20th Century, the jeweller Nardi has succeeded in making them famous worldwide. The present version, though not by Nardi, is a fine example of such brooches, its size placing it amongst the most impressive to have been offered at auction. Historically, the heads were made of black onyx or dyed black chalcedony. Today, they are usually in ebony, as the present one, or tortoiseshell. The apparel is nearly always jewelled, but seed pearls are rarely used, making this jewel quite out of the ordinary.