Jewelry setting
A jewelry setting and method for manufacturing same are provided. The jewelry setting includes a frame configured to receive a gemstone, the frame including a base and at least one sidewall defining a cavity for receiving the gemstone; and at least two prongs soldered to the at least one sidewall, wherein the at least two prongs extend above an upper peripheral edge of the sidewall for securing the gemstone in the frame. The method includes the steps providing the frame configured to receive the gemstone; providing at least two prongs, each of the at least two prongs includes a layer of solder disposed thereon; placing the at least two prongs in contact with the at least one sidewall of the frame; and heating the frame and the prongs to a predetermined temperature, wherein the solder will reflow and form a joint between the prongs and the sidewall.
This application claims priority to an application entitled “JEWELRY SETTING” filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Oct. 20, 2005 and assigned Ser. No. 60/728,729, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND1. Field
The present disclosure relates to jewelry findings, and more particular, a jewelry setting which provides maximum exposure of a gemstone, while providing a sturdy and attractive mounting for the gemstone. The jewelry setting may be incorporated in a ring, an earring, a pendant, or as a component of a bracelet and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Jewelry findings are well known in the art and have been the subject of many issued patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,835,117 which issued to Lutrario on May 20, 1958 is entitled “GEM SETTING WITH GEM BIASED ORNAMENTAL SADDLE MEMBER”, and discloses a significant and massive gold setting construction, thereby shielding a large portion of the gemstone. Similarly, the patent to Engel, U.S. Pat. No. 2,510,774 which issued on Jun. 6, 1950 provides a stone mounting for bracelets and other articles wherein a major portion of the sides of the gemstone are hidden. Other similar findings or settings which obstruct a portion of the gemstone are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,090 to Santiago which issued on Jul. 18, 1995 and is entitled “VARIABLE FINGER RING WITH BIASED SHANK AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,574 to Ricci et al. which issued on Sep. 1, 1998 and is entitled “V-END SETTINGS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME”.
Even applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,701 which issued on Sep. 24, 2002 and is entitled “MULTI-PART JEWELRY SETTING” provides an aesthetically pleasing setting that appears to be of significant and massive gold construction whereas, in fact, applicant's patented setting is hollow and relatively inexpensive, as compared to its appearance which is expensive-looking.
Although applicant's patented jewelry setting, as well as the other prior art settings have been well received in the marketplace, it is desirable to provide a setting which is sturdy, yet of minimal structure, thereby affording full exposure of the gemstone, not only on the top portion thereof, but along its sides, thereby providing an even more aesthetically pleasing jewelry.
Accordingly, it is an object of the subject disclosure to provide a jewelry setting, which provides maximum exposure of a gemstone disposed in the setting, while at the same time providing a sturdy mounting for the gemstone.
It is a further object of the subject disclosure to provide a jewelry setting which may be used with gemstones that are capable of being subjected to soldering temperatures in the range of 1,400° F. during mounting of the gemstone to the setting, as well as providing a stone setting which may be readily employed with gemstones that cannot be subjected to such elevated temperatures.
SUMMARYThe above and other objects are achieved by a jewelry setting or finding in accordance with the present disclosure wherein a very thin frame corresponding to a shape of a gemstone is provided, with an outer diameter of the frame substantially corresponding to an outer perimeter of the stone, whereby the stone may be placed on an upper peripheral edge of the frame and centered thereon. Next, prongs of generally square-shaped, cross-section are soldered to the peripheral sidewalls of the frame so as to extend above the surface of the gemstone, after which the prongs are bent radially inwardly, thereby establishing a sturdy setting for the stone, while affording maximum exposure of the stone thereby resulting in an aesthetically pleasing stone setting.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a jewelry setting is provided. The jewelry setting includes a frame configured to receive a gemstone, the frame including a base and at least one sidewall defining a cavity for receiving the gemstone; and at least two prongs soldered to the at least one sidewall, wherein the at least two prongs extend above an upper peripheral edge of the at least one sidewall for securing the gemstone in the frame. Each of the at least two prongs has a generally square cross-section.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the jewelry setting further includes a retainer member configured to center the received gemstone in the frame, the retainer member being disposed on the upper peripheral edge of the at least one sidewall. The retainer member may be flat or configured with an inwardly down-sloping angle.
In a further aspect, each of the at least two prongs includes a planar generally rectangular portion for mating with the at least one sidewall and two prong members extending from the rectangular portion for gripping the received gemstone.
In another aspect, the frame includes at least one cutout for exposing a lower portion of the gemstone received by the frame.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a jewelry setting is provided. The method includes the steps providing a frame configured to receive a gemstone, the frame including a base and at least one sidewall defining a cavity for receiving the gemstone; providing at least two prongs, each of the at least two prongs includes a layer of solder disposed thereon; placing the at least two prongs in contact with the at least one sidewall of the frame; and heating the frame and the at least two prongs to a predetermined temperature, wherein the solder will reflow and form a joint between each of the at least two prongs and the at least one sidewall. The method further includes the steps disposing a gemstone in the frame; and bending an upper portion of each of the at least two prongs inwardly relative to the frame to secure the gemstone in the frame.
In another aspect, the method further includes the steps, before the heating step, providing a retainer member for centering the received gemstone, the retainer member including a layer of solder disposed thereon and disposing the retainer member on an upper peripheral edge of the at least one sidewall.
In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the method includes, wherein the at least two prongs include an upper bent portion, the placing step further includes the step disposing a gemstone in the frame before the heating step, the upper bent portions contacting an upper portion of the gemstone and a lower portion of the at least two prongs contacting the at least one sidewall of the frame.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail.
Turning to
As shown in
As illustrated in
The frame 12 may be formed from any precious or non-precious metal by any known metal forming process, e.g., a stamping process, to correspond to the shape of the gemstone to be set, e.g., round, oval, square, triangle, emerald, pear, marquise, heart, etc.
Each prong 14 has a generally square cross-sectional configuration, of approximate one half millimeter on each side, and is preferably made of the same metal or material as is the cylindrical frame 12, e.g. gold, silver, platinum, etc.. The prongs are manufactured as a generally square wire which is cut into desired lengths. The wire includes a layer of solder around and along an entire length of the wire. Preferably, the color of solder will approximately match the color of the setting, i.e., the frame and prongs.
It is to be appreciated that the wire may be of other shapes to effect different looks of the setting. For example, the wire may be circular and cut to the desired length. The cut lengths of the wire will vary and will depend on the size and/or the shape of the stone to be set.
In the assembly of the stone and finding as shown in the embodiment of
It is to be appreciated that in assembling the setting of
In a further embodiment, a retainer member is employed to center the gemstone received in the frame. Referring to
It is to be appreciated that other shapes and configurations of the retainer member may be employed depending on the size and/or shape of the stone to be set, i.e., a shape of the retainer member will substantially correspond to the shape of the stone, e.g., square, oval, etc.. In the embodiments shown in
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the setting 30 is designed to be used with a stone that is not capable of being subjected to elevated temperatures for soldering the prongs 34 to the frame 32. In the embodiment of
The straight leg prongs 34 are soldered to the frame 32 without the bent portions so a gemstone may be set in the frame after the soldering has taken place. Since the prongs 34 have solder on all sides, the prongs may be placed in the jig with any side of the prong coming into contact with the frame 32, allowing quick and easy placement of the components into the jig without having to determine which side of the prong has solder disposed on it. After the retainer ring 36 and the prongs 34 are soldered to the frame 32 as described above and illustrated in
Referring to
Turning to
In a further related embodiment, the prongs 70 are straight as illustrated in
Turning to
Setting 100 is also designed to accommodate stones which are not capable of being subjected to elevated soldering temperatures, with the setting 100 including a frame 102, retaining member or ring 104 and straight leg prongs 106, as well as a post 108. As described above, the retainer member 104 and prongs 106 will be provided with a layer of solder colored to match the color of the frame 102. The frame 102, retainer member 104, prongs 106 and post 108 will be assembled in a suitable jig and subjected to an elevated temperature to allow the solder to reflow and join the components together. The assembled setting 100 is illustrated in
After the setting 100 is assembled, a stone is placed on the frame 102, and then the prongs 106 are bent radially inwardly to grip the stone as described above.
Turning to
The setting further includes a post 126 which will be soldered to an underside of the bottom 120 of the frame 112.
In assembling the setting 110, the frame 112, prongs 114, retainer member 116 and post 126 are placed in a suitable jig, after which the assembly is subjected to a high temperature for soldering the prongs 114, retainer member 116 and post 126 to the frame 112. After a gemstone is disposed on the retainer member 116, the prongs 114 will be bent by a suitable drill press at a portion of the prong above the girdle of the gemstone to secure the gemstone in place. The assembly of the prongs 114 to the frame 112 is illustrated in
It is to be appreciated that the setting 110 may employ prongs with an upper bent portion as described in the various embodiments above. In assembling the setting 110 with bent prongs, the frame 112, retainer member 116 and post 126 are placed in a suitable jig, after which a stone 128 is placed on the upper peripheral rim of the retainer member 116 so as to be self-centered. The prongs with upper bent portions (not shown) are then placed in the jig, after which the assembly is subjected to a high temperature for soldering the prongs, retainer member 116 and post 126 to the frame 112. The assembly of the prongs to the frame 112 with stone in place is illustrated in
In all of the embodiments of the subject disclosure, the resulting finding ensures maximum exposure of the stone including maximum exposure of the peripheral side edges of the stone, as well as providing an inexpensive, but sturdy finding for griping of the stone.
While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A jewelry setting comprising:
- a frame configured to receive a gemstone, the frame including a base and at least one sidewall defining a cavity for receiving the gemstone; and
- at least two prongs soldered to the at least one sidewall, wherein the at least two prongs extend above an upper peripheral edge of the at least one sidewall for securing the gemstone in the frame.
2. The jewelry setting as in claim 1, wherein the base of the frame includes at least one aperture.
3. The jewelry setting as in claim 1, wherein the at least two prongs are bent inwardly toward a center of the frame at a predetermined distance above the upper peripheral edge of the at least one sidewall.
4. The jewelry setting as in claim 1, further comprising a retainer member configured to center the received gemstone in the frame, the retainer member being disposed on the upper peripheral edge of the at least one sidewall.
5. The jewelry setting as in claim 4, wherein the retainer member is flat.
6. The jewelry setting as in claim 4, wherein the retainer member is configured with an inwardly down-sloping angle.
7. The jewelry setting as in claim 1, wherein each of the at least two prongs has a generally square cross-section.
8. The jewelry setting as in claim 1, wherein each of the at least two prongs includes a generally rectangular portion for mating with the at least one sidewall and two prong members extending from the rectangular portion for gripping the received gemstone.
9. The jewelry setting as in claim 1, wherein the shape of the frame generally corresponds to a shape of the gemstone.
10. The jewelry setting as in claim 4, wherein the shape of the retainer member generally corresponds to a shape of the gemstone.
11. The jewelry setting as in claim 1, further comprising a post soldered to an underside of the base of the frame.
12. The jewelry setting as in claim 1, wherein the at least one sidewall includes at least one cutout for exposing a lower portion of the gemstone received by the frame.
13. The jewelry setting as in claim 12, further comprising a retainer member configured to center the received gemstone, the retainer member being disposed on the upper peripheral edge of the at least one sidewall.
14. A method for manufacturing a jewelry setting, the method comprising the steps:
- providing a frame configured to receive a gemstone, the frame including a base and at least one sidewall defining a cavity for receiving the gemstone;
- providing at least two prongs, each of the at least two prongs includes a layer of solder disposed thereon;
- placing the at least two prongs in contact with the at least one sidewall of the frame; and
- heating the frame and the at least two prongs to a predetermined temperature, wherein the solder will reflow and form a joint between each of the at least two prongs and the at least one sidewall.
15. The method as in claim 14, further comprising the steps:
- disposing a gemstone in the frame; and
- bending an upper portion of each of the at least two prongs inwardly relative to the frame to secure the gemstone in the frame.
16. The method as in claim 14, further comprising the steps:
- before the heating step, providing a retainer member for centering the received gemstone, the retainer member including a layer of solder disposed thereon and disposing the retainer member on an upper peripheral edge of the at least one sidewall.
17. The method as in claim 16, further comprising the steps:
- after the heating step, disposing a gemstone on the retainer member; and
- bending an upper portion of each of the at least two prongs inwardly relative to the frame to secure the gemstone in the frame.
18. The method as in claim 14, wherein the at least two prongs include an upper bent portion, the placing step further comprising the step disposing a gemstone in the frame, the upper bent portions contacting an upper portion of the gemstone and a lower portion of the at least two prongs contacting the at least one sidewall of the frame.
19. The method as in claim 14, wherein the at least two prongs include an upper bent portion, further comprising the steps:
- providing a retainer member including a layer of solder;
- disposing the retainer member on an upper peripheral edge of the at least one sidewall of the frame;
- disposing a gemstone on the retainer member; and
- placing the upper bent portions in contact with an upper portion of the gemstone and a lower portion of the at least two prongs in contact with the at least one sidewall of the frame.
20. The method as in claim 16, further comprising the step providing a post including a solder disposed on at least one end and placing the at least one end of the post in contact with an underside of the base of the frame before the heating step.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 12, 2006
Publication Date: Apr 26, 2007
Inventor: David Katz (Brooklyn, NY)
Application Number: 11/330,945
International Classification: A44C 17/02 (20060101);