Victorian Turquoise Oval Pavé Bombe Ring

Victorian oval turquoise and gold pavé-set  bombe shaped ring This antique, oval-shaped, Persian turquoise ring is a stunning example of a 'bombe' ring, a popular 19th century term borrowed from the same French word 'bombé', meaning a rounded, spherical shape.   This unusually elliptical-shaped bombe runs North-South on the finger, an echo of the navette shapes also in fashion in the later Victorian and later Edwardian eras.  The convex surface of this bombe is covered with a paving of turquoise cabochons,  which is a beautiful technique for setting stones called 'pavé', also a French term meaning 'paved'.  The base of the bombe and the band are a contrasting 14k yellow gold.  It is our supposition that this base and band were a later addition to the ring--the bombe may have originally been on a lapel pin, or used as a button or cufflink and converted to a ring by a later jeweler. Most bombes were round, which is one reason this ring is so outstanding and unique!  The word 'bombe' its