Graceful, friendly and docile, it's no surprise that doves have become symbolic with peace, friendship and the bringing of hope.

While these majestic feathered creatures were a beloved jewelry motif in the Georgian and Victorian eras -- appearing on everything from brooches to watch fobs --  artisans have been capturing their likeness for centuries. 

This exquisite ring is a bit of a history book in and of itself! The story begins with this beautiful rusty red carnelian intaglio, expertly hand carved to portray the iconic Doves of Pliny.

Commonly appearing as the subject of many 18th and 19th century micromosaics, the Doves of Pliny imagery comes from the Roman floor mosaic discovered in 1737 at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli.

However, historians believe the unearthed Roman mosaic is actually a copy of a lost ancient Greek mosaic at Pergamon dating back to 77AD and described by Pliny the Elder in his book, "Natural History." Hence the name Doves of Pliny!

This intaglio hails from the late Georgian/early Victorian era and most likely began its life as a watch fob. Somewhere in its almost 200-year journey, it was converted into this enchanting ring.

The ring has a 14k shank with a 10k frame holding the intaglio in place.