In his 1958 publication, Gerald Stevens writes of The Green Necklace:

"This is an important example of one of Mr. Coburn's rare figure studies. In general, only those collectors who have visited the Royal Canadian Academy exhibitions or the spring shows held by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will know that this type of subject can be credited to Mr. Coburn. Several of these nudes are included in public and private collections, but the majority have never been offered for sale and only an expert critic would be able to authenticate an example by means of colour and technique.

The principal reason for this work is not the figure, for, although it rises like a graceful flower from a vase, it is used as a peg for the rich materials which surround it. Mr. Coburn has spent many years in forming a collection of antique Chinese garments, embroidered with Oriental motifs and floral designs in coloured and metallic threads. This collection forms the basis of a type of painting which he speaks of as 'relaxation.'

Mr. Coburn's acknowledged mastery of colour and tone is displayed in this work. The flesh tones of the model glow with life but blend with the background. The antique blues and reds and creams and golds of the silks and satins gleam in subdued harmony, and the green is repeated in the string of beads which give perspective to the figure."