RAREST 1870 OSTBY BARTON PROTOTYPE 10k SOLITAIRE SETTING HANDWROUGHT RING MOUNT

RAREST 1870 OSTBY BARTON PROTOTYPE 10k SOLITAIRE SETTING HANDWROUGHT RING MOUNT (image 3/[null, null, null, null])

RAREST 1870 OSTBY BARTON PROTOTYPE 10k SOLITAIRE SETTING HANDWROUGHT RING MOUNT (image 4/[null, null, null, null])

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Check out my other items ! Be sure to add me to your favorites list !Behold... one of the rarest Ostby & Barton Ring EVER offered on ebay or anywhere! Up for bids is this Rarest Gothic Hand Wrought 1870s Victorian Ostby & Barton 10 k Solid Gold Prototype Solitaire Ring Mount. This was hand made by Ostby when he first arrived in the U.S. This ring is in good condition for it's age, but it does show wear. The stone is missing and the band is bent and out of round. It has a patina which is to be expected on a ring this old. Since some collector's prefer the original patina, I have left it. Has just had a light cleaning. What makes this ring so very special and important??? This is where it all started for OB designs. Ostby took these designs and in 1879 with Nathan Barton, created Ostby & Barton as we know it today. Please look carefully at photos, they have been magnified to show detail.This is one of the earliest pieces ever made by Ostby, circa 1870s with an O with a dot in the middle with a line on either side hallmark. The man was an artist and his designs show the meticulous work he did, he was a perfectionist. His pieces have become so sought after due to the high quality craftsmanship. They just don't make them like this anymore! Very, very, very hard to find hallmark! All the work on this ring was done by hand and the workmanship speaks for itself. It weighs 1g. and is approx. a size 7. This is a harder to find size as people and rings were much smaller back then. This ring would be exquisite once restored.This is a rare find and a treasure indeed! Being Ostby & Barton... it is also a great investment! This is not just an auction for a ring...it's a stewardship of a piece of history and should be treated as such. This would be the pinnacle of any OB collection and it is a Museum worthy piece. I purchased this with some other exceptionally rare OB items from an Ostby relative who had them stored in a safe for the past 120 years. Only rediscovered 6 years ago and has been in my safe ever since. Anyone interested in learning more about Ostby should read this:Mr Engelhart Cornelius OstbyMr Engelhart Cornelius Østby, 65, was born in Christiania (Oslo), Norway, on 18 December 1847, the son of Christian Østby and Josephine Dorothy Paulson. He had several siblings including Alvida (born 1850), Arthur Oscar (born 1858), Ragnhild, Constance (born 1861) and Binie.Engelhart studied to be a jeweller at the Royal School of Art in his home city. After an education that included six years of apprenticeship he worked as a successful jeweller in Oslo.In 1866 while he was still studying his parents and one of his brothers emigrated to America. He followed them in 1869 and travelled via New York to Providence, Rhode Island. He worked initially for the firm of Hunt & Owen (G. & S. Owen ?) but soon moved to the firm of Arnold & Webster (Later Arnold & Steere) where he acted as head of design and engraving for nine years.In 1879 with, capital of about $3000, he formed a partnerhip with Nathan B. Barton to create the business of Østby & Barton. Working from premises at 25 Potter St. (later called Garnet St.) the firm became the world's biggest producer of gold rings. Lack of space forced the company to move from Potter St. to Clifford St. and the Austin factory buildng. Soon outgrowing their new premises they again relocated, to the former factory of the Ladd Watch Case Company on the corner of Richmond St. and Clifford St. the building had to be doubled in size to accomodate the burgeoning business.In addition to his jewellery business Østby was a director of the High Street Bank and the Industrial Trust Company, and a trustee of the Citizens Savings Bank; all of which were in Providence. Østby became well known in the city both for his success in business and for his many charitable acts.Engelhart Østby was married to Lizzy Macy Webster (born 1854) on 7 June 1876 and they had four sons [1] and, on 30 November 1889, a daughter Helene Ragnhild.Lizzie died on 26 No... read more

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