The jewel was commissioned by Duke John the Fearless of Burgundy in the late 1380s, and was one of the most precious treasures of the House of Burgundy. It was created by Parisian goldsmith Herman Ruissel in 1389; a bill and receipt of the work can be found in the Côte-d'Or Departmental Archives in Dijon. After receiving it in the 1390s, Duke John pawned the jewel in 1412, but redeemed it at some point before 1419. When the Duke—who was a major figure in the Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War over the French throne—was assassinated during a parley with the French dauphin (the future King Charles VII) in 1419, the Brothers were passed down to his son Philip the Good.