Ostby & Barton Co. Jewelry

Q: I have a gold ring that belonged to my grandfather and perhaps his father. It’s engraved with initials on a flat section on the front. The sides of the ring band are decorated with a geometric pattern. Inside is a small mark, the capital letters “OB” in a rectangle with clipped corners. Can you tell me who made it?

A: OB stands for Ostby & Barton Co. a jewelry firm that worked from 1880 to the 1950s. Engelhart C. Ostby was born in Norway, moved to the United States, and by 1879, had joined with Nathan B. Barton to form a jewelry company. The firm was so successful they became the country’s largest jewelry manufacturer and the largest ring makers in the world. In 1912, Ostby, Barton and Ostby’s 22 year-old daughter, Helen, went on a trip to Europe to vacation and to buy precious stones for the company. They changed their vacation plans, deciding to return on the RMS Titanic with friends. When the Titanic hit the iceberg, the Ostbys both went from their staterooms to the lifeboats and waited to leave. Engelhart Ostby went back for a coat and missed a lifeboat; he drowned and his body was later found, identified, and buried near his home. His daughter, who had to leave the Titanic without him, was rescued, and she continued working with her brother at Ostby & Barton. Collectors search for pieces of O & B jewelry partly because of Engelhart’s newsworthy death and partly because of the quality of the jewelry. Price depends on the value of the stones, the gold and the design. Most jewelry offered online is priced from $125 to $350, with some prices as high as $3,500.