The quality of this example indicates that it belonged to an individual of high-status. Though the fitting appears to be unparalleled, many examples of Anglo-Saxon goldwork with inlaid garnets are known. The style drew upon the traditions of eastern nomadic peoples as well as on Roman jewellery techniques and the deep red colour of garnets was probably sought after by the Anglo-Saxon elites because it evoked the imperial 'purple' of Rome.

The sophisticated cloisonné design using stepped and concave cells inlaid with garnets may be compared to two East Anglian finds dating from the 7th Century: the Ixworth (Stanton) cross in the Ashmolean Museum and the solidius of Heraclius (613-632 A.D.) in the British Museum (cf. L. Webster and J. Backhouse, The Making of England: Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, 1991, nos 11,12).