|
By Danielle Olivia Tefft, Jewelry Writer
Note: if you would like further information about Uncas rings, please submit questions and photos to my email: info@danielleoliviatefftwrites.com. I can no longer answer them in the comment section of this blog article!
Early Uncas costume ring with sterling setting. (Courtesy Treasure Box Antiques)
Uncas made many costume jewelry rings in a vast array of styles over the years. They still turn up at antique shops, flea markets, yard sales and in old jewelry boxes. I am an avid collector of antique and vintage Uncas rings and have been for many years. Below are four popular costume styles that people email me about over and over again!
2. 1960’s faux opal and rhinestone cocktail ring:
1960's Uncas costume ring. (Courtesy Treasue Box Antiques)
3. 1950’s patent #2763140 (glass gemstone) ring: 
Popular 1950's Uncas costume ring. (Courtesy Treasure Box Antiques)
4. 1950’s patent #2835117 (glass gemstone) ring: 
Another popular Uncas costume ring from the 1950s. (Courtesy Treasure Box Antiques)
A Bit of Uncas History:
The Uncas Mfg. Co. began operations in Providence, Rhode Island in 1911. By the 1950s, Uncas had become the largest manufacturer of costume jewelry rings in the United States. The company is still in business today, over 105 years later! Today, a large part of the Uncas jewelry business is the manufacture of licensed jewelry for the likes of Disney and Universal Studios. Corporate headquarters are still located in Rhode Island although it is now a global operation. What to Look for: 
(Courtesy Treasure Box Antiques)
The two most recognizable Uncas marks have a “U” and arrows. The first has a “U” with inward facing arrows on either side of the U. This is the original mark of the Uncas Mfg. Co. This mark was used from 1918 to 1988.
A second mark with a single left facing arrow dissecting the "U" in half horizontally was also used from the 20s on. By the 1950s, the company was also using just the word "Uncas" as a mark. Expect to pay anywhere from $10 to $400 for a marked antique (100 years old or older) or vintage (20 years old or older) Uncas ring in good condition. Happy hunting! Have you encountered Uncas rings in your treasure hunts? Tell us about them in the comments section. Specific questions should be emailed with photos to me: info@danielleoliviatefftwrites.com. I can no longer answer them here. If you ask in the comments section below, I will request that you resubmit your inquiry to the email address above! 
Danielle Olivia Tefft is a professional writer with a lifelong passion for gems and jewelry. She is a GIA accredited jewelry professional and is the owner of online antique and vintage jewelry shop, Treasure Box Antiques; for many years at Ruby Lane and now at Etsy. When she is not writing, she spends time in the garden, spoiling her cats and traveling with her significant other. Would you like to advertise on her website or this blog? Visit danielleoliviatefftwrites.com for clips, terms, her media kit and more information.
29 Comments
Donna Hill
8/30/2019 02:59:31 pm
Hello.. thanks for your article. I was just asked by a family member to look through a beautiful antique jewelry chest and see what I could do with the jewelry in it. So fun! I have a solitaire 6-pronged ring that a local jeweler could not pin down what it was with their diamond-checking gadget, but suggested maybe a white sapphire. It has the left-facing arrow dissecting the U horizontally, and the band is only 10K. There is no one alive to ask about this jewelry, except my brother-in-law said his grandmother only owned the best and his mother owned cheap stuff, so... There is other jewelry that may be UNCAS, but not sure I've seen the logo on anything yet. Was UNCAS equally genuine and costume or what percentages of each, and where else could I look for dating of this ring? 9/2/2019 06:57:48 am
I do not know the percentages of costume to genuine gold rings. However, I can tell you that by the 1950s, Uncas was the largest costume ring manufacturer in the US, so costume jewelry was their primary bread & butter. If the ring is 10K, the stone could also be a rhinestone or swarovski crystal, or if it is from the 1970s or later, it could be cubic Zirconia. It would not be a genuine diamond and I am doubting it would be a white sapphire, but I don't know everything!
Janice M Peek
1/14/2021 09:31:14 am
My mother worked for Uncas from the early 1950's to her retirement in the early 1980's. Uncas produced much more volume and many more styles in costume jewelry than in sterling silver or 10K or 14K gold. Lots of HGE (heavy gold electroplate) and silver plated. I currently have a number of vintage Uncas rings for sale in my personal Etsy shop - https://www.etsy.com/shop/BohoVintageTreasures
PrairieSquid
9/13/2019 02:43:30 pm
Hello! Thank you so much for this article, as just this afternoon while gardening...I unearthed a beautiful Uncas sterling silver men's pinkie ring with a moss agate stone. Mine has been probably been buried since my house was built in 1952, so it's pretty worn and the silver isn't the most beautiful shape. From my research, this particular style was made in the 1930s, and it's *very* Art Deco. Here's a link to a listing for a ring in the exact setting as mine, though my agate is of better quality. I'm just so excited to have found it, though it only fits on my pinkie and has clearly seen better days...You never know what you'll find while gardening^.^ 9/15/2019 05:24:09 am
Thank you for sharing your Uncas story! Your find is lovely.
Bill Becker
11/19/2019 08:24:02 am
I recently found an old sterling ring that has an H with an arrow through it but it also is stamped pat pending never seen one like this also has a large stone diamond in it. Could this be real? 11/22/2019 02:41:55 pm
I am not familiar with an H and arrow mark. If it is the Uncas mark with a U, the stone is most probably a rhinestone or glass. Uncas was the largest costume ring manufacturer in the US by the 1950s. They often mixed sterling silver bands with imitation and semi-precious stones.
Margie
12/13/2019 05:20:58 am
I have the ring that is your top picture..with a purple colored glass. It is beautiful. Could you tell me how old that design is? 12/13/2019 06:38:59 am
Margie,
Dorrie
12/31/2019 08:23:20 am
Interesting article. I'm a big fan of Uncas rings, and recently came upon a cameo made by one of their subsidiaries, Curtis Creations. To me, it looks like either shell or celluloid, but a friend says it's ivory. Can you tell me, please, whether Uncas ever used genuine ivory in its products? 12/31/2019 12:14:33 pm
I am not a Curtis Creations expert, but I can tell you that Uncas has used both shell and imitation cameos in their rings, not real ivory. Here is a link to my blog article that may help determine if it is a real shell cameo: 1/9/2020 05:56:40 am
To Melissa: Thank you for the great write up; I'm just starting to keep a closer eye on rings and such that crosses my path and I came across a 12k (10k acid did nothing, 14k acid ate the test line) UNCAS marked ring, U with the arrow dissecting it but there is a lower case "g" or a "9" after the U. I've not find any documentation as to what the lower case "g" means. Would you have any ideas? Thank you. 3/2/2020 05:48:36 am
That is probably a 9 and would indicate ring size. Please send any further questions to my email: info@danielleoliviatefftwrites.com as I indicated in my article.
Samantha Simon
12/7/2020 07:31:09 pm
My grandmother who raised me recently past and I was given a few of her christmas ornaments. I'm a beautiful metal handbell I discovered the exact ring you posted featuring the little rhinestones and opals. Do you happen to know the materials used? Thank you in advance, 1/1/2021 05:26:23 am
I believe the opal stones are glass. Rhinestones are a type of crystal or glass. The metal is an alloy of non-precious metals.
Sandy Muzik
2/1/2021 01:46:54 am
I have a stick pin marked with sideways U with arrow through it followed by 14. It has what looks like a small blue sapphire in the center with back side open to show the back of the stone. I think that's required for gemstones, but not rhinestones or imitation gemstones. Does the mark with the 14 right after it indicate 14K gold? Thanks. 2/7/2021 04:48:10 am
I would need to see a photo. Please refer to my comment below. 2/7/2021 04:43:31 am
Dear Readers:
Kathy Ross
7/5/2021 06:45:29 pm
What does an unca ring with a u and arrow going through it and a 9 next to it? 7/17/2021 05:15:13 am
I can no longer answer questions in the comments section. Please send me all questions to info@danielleoliviatefftwrites.com
george
9/9/2021 05:36:02 pm
I have an old men's Uncas ring 1/30 14K RGP in a Victorian style setting that features a 2 person cameo carved from tiger eye, a very nice ring actually. It's got the U with the arrow mark from the twenties and that lines up because I have an initial ring from the 1920's with that same type of Victorian shank. 10/14/2021 01:20:23 am
I really appreciate this article. Your sharing great article us. I really like this article and very useful also. Thanks for sharing the great article.
Alice Tharpe
10/30/2021 04:21:29 pm
I do metal detecting as a hobby and dug up a vintage Uncas ring without the stone. It is sterling with little flowers around where the stone would be. I am guessing from the forties because almost all the other items have been from the forties and earlier. ( 1891) the earliest coin. In researching the makers mark I found your article, thank you for the information. I have found one other sterling ring at the same location and figure it also is an Uncas ring.
Kathy Baldree
1/19/2022 01:32:47 pm
I have just acquired a lot of costume jewelry and one of the had a U mark with the arrow and it looks like a 7 on one side. I don’t know anything about it but found your website. It looks like a diamond solitaire but don’t know if it’s real. Thank you for anything you could tell me I worked at Uncas in 1977-78 as a designer. At that time most of the rings were cast brass with a heavy gold electroplate. Manufacturing was still done in the factory on Atwells Ave in Providence. It was an amazing place. However they were starting to explore overseas manufacturing and there was a line of sterling rings that were made in Spain.
Leslie vidrine
5/19/2022 01:02:34 am
I came across a spectacular Uncas ring at an action. Sterling, with hallmark and beautiful, large, round cut orange stone. The setting looks like a scalloped, basket. Just beautiful
Sabrina Waldo
5/30/2022 10:21:26 pm
I have the the exact ring in your top picture! I love it its absolutely beautiful!! Could you tell me what its worth? Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
About This Blog:The Found in the Jewelry Box Blog is my attempt to teach others about the wonderful world of gems and jewelry, past and present. Please enjoy! Categories
All
Archives
June 2022
|
RSS Feed