diff --git a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/OpenVolumeMeshHandle.hh b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/OpenVolumeMeshHandle.hh
index abb2fa5ee1c60d1a4cf068571839eab7d58041c9..0b4a74e1d7c8040b4c4b9fb29e21564501e0ea0e 100644
--- a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/OpenVolumeMeshHandle.hh
+++ b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/OpenVolumeMeshHandle.hh
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@
 #include <algorithm>
 #include <iosfwd>
 #include <vector>
+#include <cassert>
+#include <limits>
 
 #include "Entities.hh"
 #include "../System/FunctionalInclude.hh"
@@ -48,17 +50,15 @@ namespace OpenVolumeMesh {
 class OpenVolumeMeshHandle {
 public:
     // Default constructor
-	explicit OpenVolumeMeshHandle(int _idx) : idx_(_idx) {};
+    explicit OpenVolumeMeshHandle(int _idx) : idx_(_idx) {}
 
 	OpenVolumeMeshHandle& operator=(int _idx) {
 		idx_ = _idx;
 		return *this;
 	}
 
-	OpenVolumeMeshHandle& operator=(const OpenVolumeMeshHandle& _idx) {
-		idx_ = _idx.idx_;
-		return *this;
-	}
+    OpenVolumeMeshHandle(const OpenVolumeMeshHandle& _idx) = default;
+    OpenVolumeMeshHandle& operator=(const OpenVolumeMeshHandle& _idx) = default;
 
 	inline bool is_valid() const { return idx_ != -1; }
 
@@ -76,6 +76,9 @@ public:
 
 	inline const int& idx() const { return idx_; }
 
+    /// return unsigned idx - handle must be valid
+    inline size_t uidx() const { assert(is_valid()); return static_cast<size_t>(idx_); }
+
 	void idx(const int& _idx) { idx_ = _idx; }
 
     OVM_DEPRECATED("use explicit .idx() instead")
@@ -95,6 +98,17 @@ class HandleT : public OpenVolumeMeshHandle
 public:
     using Entity = EntityTag;
     explicit HandleT(int _idx = -1) : OpenVolumeMeshHandle(_idx) {}
+
+    static HandleT<EntityTag>
+    from_unsigned(size_t _idx)
+    {
+        if (_idx <= std::numeric_limits<int>::max()) {
+            return HandleT<EntityTag>(static_cast<int>(_idx));
+        } else {
+            assert(false);
+            return HandleT<EntityTag>(-1);
+        }
+    }
 };
 
 // Default entity handles
diff --git a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/PropertyPtr.hh b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/PropertyPtr.hh
index 4d666e608c6ef16256948a4412d1dd95af243130..cbf8a92187dbea2fd397fcfcad46ff4083d4806f 100644
--- a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/PropertyPtr.hh
+++ b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/PropertyPtr.hh
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ public:
     const_reference operator[](size_t _idx) const { return (*ptr::shared_ptr<PropT>::get())[_idx]; }
 
     reference operator[](const EntityHandleT& _h) { return (*ptr::shared_ptr<PropT>::get())[_h.idx()]; }
-    const_reference operator[](const EntityHandleT& _h) const { return (*ptr::shared_ptr<PropT>::get())[_h.idx()]; }
+    const_reference operator[](const EntityHandleT& _h) const { return (*ptr::shared_ptr<PropT>::get())[_h.uidx()]; }
 
     virtual void serialize(std::ostream& _ostr) const { ptr::shared_ptr<PropT>::get()->serialize(_ostr); }
     virtual void deserialize(std::istream& _istr) { ptr::shared_ptr<PropT>::get()->deserialize(_istr); }
diff --git a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/ResourceManager.cc b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/ResourceManager.cc
index 2b52644c5cb38eec0de53a04e195fc101270a03d..fa8a90e6b0ac0a6accf68531c0b65e5faab8472d 100644
--- a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/ResourceManager.cc
+++ b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/Core/ResourceManager.cc
@@ -178,32 +178,32 @@ void ResourceManager::swap_vertex_properties(VertexHandle _h1, VertexHandle _h2)
 
 void ResourceManager::release_property(VertexPropHandle _handle) {
 
-    remove_property(vertex_props_, _handle.idx());
+    remove_property(vertex_props_, _handle.uidx());
 }
 
 void ResourceManager::release_property(EdgePropHandle _handle) {
 
-    remove_property(edge_props_, _handle.idx());
+    remove_property(edge_props_, _handle.uidx());
 }
 
 void ResourceManager::release_property(HalfEdgePropHandle _handle) {
 
-    remove_property(halfedge_props_, _handle.idx());
+    remove_property(halfedge_props_, _handle.uidx());
 }
 
 void ResourceManager::release_property(FacePropHandle _handle) {
 
-    remove_property(face_props_, _handle.idx());
+    remove_property(face_props_, _handle.uidx());
 }
 
 void ResourceManager::release_property(HalfFacePropHandle _handle) {
 
-    remove_property(halfface_props_, _handle.idx());
+    remove_property(halfface_props_, _handle.uidx());
 }
 
 void ResourceManager::release_property(CellPropHandle _handle) {
 
-    remove_property(cell_props_, _handle.idx());
+    remove_property(cell_props_, _handle.uidx());
 }
 
 void ResourceManager::release_property(MeshPropHandle _handle) {