Delicate Ostby & Barton Baby Signet Ring

A beautiful tiny signet - originally this would have been made as a baby ring, but would be perfect now for those with particularly slim digits, or as a midi or pinky ring - we even love these strung on a chain as a pendant.

While the practice of giving babies jewelry has ancient roots in protection and decoration, the Victorians in particular loved to adorn little ones - though these tiny rings were much more often given as a keepsake, stored away or worn by the mother. It's helpful to remember that with infant mortality so high in the 1800s, a small physical item like this was not only a lovely way to celebrate the birth of a child, but would also serve as a memento if the child didn't survive.

This wee thing is stamped for Ostby & Barton - for a time, the largest ring manufacturers in the world. Based out of Providence, Rhode Island, and founded in 1879, the business was thriving when Engelhart Cornelius Ostby and his daughter Helene took one of many trips to Europe in 1912. Booked in first class cabins for their return trip, father and daughter boarded the Titanic, but only Helene made it back to the United States. She would go on to join the family business (along with her brother and niece), and Ostby & Barton would continue to produce jewelry into the 1950s.

This ring appears to be engraved GW, thought it can also look a little like an ML when flipped.

Details:
• 10k rosy yellow gold, stamped OB 10k for Ostby & Barton
• Size 2.5-2.75, there is evidence of past sizing but do not recommend further sizing
• Face of ring is 5x7mm, rise off finger is 0.7mm, back of band is 1.7mm wide and 0.5mm thick
• 0.7g
• Face is engraved GW or ML