GROOVED GEM MOUNT

Abstract

An article of jewelry includes a gem with a face, and a groove formed along a periphery of the face. A wire may be disposed in the groove, and a hanger may be connected to the wire to suspend the gem. The hanger may be configured to maintain the orientation of the gem, for example, to maintain the face of the gem so that it is generally oriented outward from a wearer of the article of jewelry. In some embodiments, the periphery of the gem may comprise a girdle, and the groove may be formed substantially completely around the girdle.

Description

This application claims priority from Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/864,407 filed Nov. 5, 2006.

BACKGROUND

One of the most common ways of displaying gemstones and pearls in jewelry is in the form of a pendant suspended from a chain or earring. Most current techniques for suspending gemstones and pearls rely on conventional gemstone mounting techniques. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,599 illustrates pendants in which gemstones are mounted in bezel or pronged mounts similar to those used for mounting gemstones on rings. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,547 illustrates a pendant configuration in which a retaining element includes two side bars that grip a gemstone. These configurations utilize large amounts of precious metals which are becoming increasingly expensive and therefore increase the overall cost of the jewelry. Moreover, the mounts and retaining elements cover a substantial portion of the stones, thereby diminishing the visual impact and beauty of the gemstones.

Other techniques for suspending gemstones utilize wires wrapped around the stones such as the configuration shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,830 in which multiple turns of wire are wrapped around the front and back surfaces of a stone and nestled within notches cut in the side edges of the stone. In this configuration, however, the mounting wire is plainly visible regardless of the orientation of the stone and obscures the beauty of the stone. Another example is U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2003/0019242 in which loops of wire are used to suspend spherical or heart-shaped ornaments from chains. These loops, however, also obscure the ornament.

SUMMARY

Some of the inventive principles of this patent disclosure relate to an article of jewelry having a gem with a face, and a groove formed along a periphery of the face. A wire may be disposed in the groove, and a hanger may be connected to the wire to suspend the gem. The hanger may be configured to maintain the orientation of the gem, for example, to maintain the face of the gem so that it is generally oriented outward from a wearer of the article of jewelry. In some embodiments, the periphery of the gem may comprise a girdle, and the groove may be formed substantially completely around the girdle.

In some embodiments, the hanger may be integral with the wire. The hanger may comprise a bail for attaching the gem to a chain passing through the bail. Alternatively, the article of jewelry may comprise an earring in which the hanger may comprise an ear wire, a post, a clip, a screw back, a lever back, etc. The wire may be wrapped completely around the gem and cinched or twisted to secure the gem. The gem may be a stone, a pearl, etc., and the hanger may include one or more additional gems. The article may further include one or more additional gems or ornaments attached to the hanger. The face of the gem may include a table, facets, and/or a cabochon surface. The wire may be disposed in the groove so that it is not visible in the groove when viewed from a position substantially perpendicular to the face.

Some additional inventive principles of this patent disclosure relate to a pendant having a gemstone with a girdle and a groove formed around the girdle, means for suspending and orienting the gemstone and means disposed in the groove for fastening the gemstone to the means for suspending and orienting. The means for suspending and orienting the gemstone comprise, for example, a bail.

Some further inventive principles of this patent disclosure relate to a method for suspending a gem including: fitting a wire into a groove around a girdle of the gem; and attaching the wire to a hanger. The method may further include maintaining the orientation of the gem relative to the hanger.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of an article of jewelry according to some of the inventive principles of this patent disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a gemstone prepared for mounting according to some of the inventive principles of this patent disclosure.

FIGS. 4 through 6 illustrate another embodiment of a gemstone prepared for mounting according to some of the inventive principles of this patent disclosure.

FIGS. 7A through 7L illustrate additional embodiments of articles of jewelry according to some of the inventive principles of this patent disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an enlarged side view of one of the articles of jewelry illustrated in FIG. 7E.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate side and front views, respectively, of an embodiment of an article of jewelry according to some of the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. The embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a gemstone 10 having generally rounded front and back faces 12 and 14. A groove 16 is formed all the way around the girdle of the stone so that a flexible wire 18 can be set in the groove and drawn tight to form a secure mount for the stone. In this example, the wire is twisted to form a hanger 20 having an eye for suspending the stone from a chain, earring, etc.

The inventive principles described in this patent disclosure may provide several potential advantages over prior art mounting techniques. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the mounting wire may be completely hidden when the stone is viewed from the front or back. This may reduce the distraction of prior art mountings and enable a jewelry designer to fully utilize the visual impact and beauty of gemstones or other ornaments. As a further example, the use of a slender wire to mount the stone may reduce the amount of precious metal or other material required to secure the stone, thereby reducing both the cost and weight of the mount. As yet another example, the ends of the wire used in the groove may provide an inherently useful mechanism for further processing, e.g., it may be used to form an integral hanger for securing the stone as discussed above.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the stone of FIG. 1 in which the wire is removed to better illustrate the groove. In this example, the stone is shown with faceted faces, but other types of surface treatments may be used, e.g., table, cabochon, etc.

FIGS. 4 through 6 illustrate another embodiment of a gemstone prepared for mounting according to some of the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Whereas the gemstone of FIGS. 1-3 was generally oval-shaped, the stone of FIGS. 4-6 is a pear-shaped stone with a table 22 and pavilion 24. Referring to FIG. 4, the bottom of the groove is shown by broken line 26. Referring to FIG. 5, the groove has a U-shaped cross section, preferably with a semi-polished surface and eased edges 28 to eliminate sharp surfaces. In one example embodiment, the groove may be 1.5 mm wide by 1.0 mm deep to accommodate an appropriate wire gage, but other groove sizes may be utilized to accommodate various stone sized, designs, wire materials, etc.

FIGS. 7A through 7L illustrate additional embodiments of articles of jewelry according to some of the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. The embodiments of FIGS. 7A through 7L are shown as earrings, but the inventive principles are applicable to pendants for necklaces, bracelets, anklets, etc. In each embodiment, there is a least one stone mounted with a wire set in a groove around the stone. The wire is secured by twisting, cinching, or any other suitable method of attachment to a hanger which may be an ear wire, a post, a clip, a screw back, lever back, etc. In some embodiments, the hanger may include a chain as in FIGS. 7D, 7I and 7K. In other embodiments, the hanger may include a hinged connecting rod as in FIG. 7A. In other embodiments, the pendant may include additional ornaments as shown in FIGS. 7B, 7C, 7E, 7F, 7G and 7L, and the additional ornaments may include yet more gems which are also mounted using a groove and wire arrangement as shown in FIG. 7J. Moreover, an article of jewelry according to the inventive principles may include more than one wire and groove mounted stone suspended independently from a single hanger as shown in FIG. 7I.

FIG. 8 illustrates an enlarged side view of one of the earrings illustrated in FIG. 7E in which the wire 30 can be seen set in the groove. In this embodiment, the hanger is realized with a lever-back earring, and four ornamental beads 32-38 are strung between the hanger and the gemstone.

In some embodiments, the hanger may be implemented as a bail through which a chain for a necklace, bracelet, anklet, etc. may be passed. In any of the embodiments described above or otherwise created according to the inventive principles of this patent disclosure, the hanger may be configured to maintain the orientation of the gem. For example, the hanger may be configured to maintain the face of the gem so that it is generally oriented outward from a wearer of the article of jewelry. Referring to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the loop may be oriented as shown in FIG. 1 so that, if a necklace chain is threaded through the loop, the front or back face 12 or 14 will tend to face outward when the chain is worn around the neck. Likewise, the hanger and wire arrangements may be configured so that a face of the stone tends to face outward from the wearer's body as shown in most of the embodiments of FIGS. 7A through 7L.

The inventive principles of this patent disclosure have been described above with reference to some specific example embodiments, but these embodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the inventive concepts. For example, the wire set into the groove need not be made of metal, but it can be any material that adequately secures the gem, e.g., a polymer such as nylon, or a stranded cord or thread. The wire need not have a generally cylindrical cross-section; it can include any arrangement that can be set into the groove to secure the stone. Moreover, the wire need not always be completely hidden from view from the front.

As a further example, the inventive principles of this patent disclosure apply to any gems, not just precious or semiprecious gemstones, thus it may encompass pearls and other types of ornaments worn as jewelry. The embodiments described above show the groove cut into the girdle of a gemstone, but the groove need not be located precisely at the girdle. It may be located anywhere along the periphery of a face of the gem, where the face may be the most significant or prominent surface of an object that may be presented to view. In the case of a spherical or cylindrical gem, the selection of a face may be somewhat arbitrary. Moreover, it may not be necessary for the groove to extend completely around the entire circumference of the periphery, but just so much as is needed to adequately secure the gem.

The term chain as used above in the context of a necklace, bracelet, anklet, etc., refers not only to a series of links, but to any type of chord, cable, etc. that may be used to secure a pendant to a wearer's neck, wrist, etc.

Since the embodiments described above can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the inventive concepts, such changes and modifications are considered to fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An article of jewelry comprising:

a gem having a face and a groove formed along a periphery of the face;

a wire disposed in the groove; and

a hanger connected to the wire.

2. The article of claim 1 where the hanger is configured to maintain the orientation of the gem.

3. The article of claim 1 where the hanger is configured to maintain the face of the gem so that it is generally oriented outward from a wearer of the article of jewelry.

4. The article of claim 1 where the periphery of the gem comprises a girdle.

5. The article of claim 1 where the groove is formed substantially completely around the girdle.

6. The article of claim 1 where the hanger is integral with the wire.

7. The article of claim 1 where the hanger comprises a bail.

8. The article of claim 7 further comprising a chain passing through the bail.

9. The article of claim 1 where the article comprises an earring.

10. The article of claim 9 where the hanger comprises an ear wire, a post, a clip, a screw back, or a lever back.

11. The article of claim 1 where the wire is cinched to secure the gem.

12. The article of claim 1 where the wire is twisted to secure the gem.

13. The article of claim 1 further comprising one or more additional gems or ornaments attached to the hanger.

14. The article of claim 1 where the gem comprises a stone.

15. The article of claim 1 where the face comprises a table, facets, or a cabochon surface.

16. The article of claim 1 where the wire is not visible in the groove when viewed from a position substantially perpendicular to the face.

17. A pendant comprising:

a gemstone having a girdle and a groove formed around the girdle;

means for suspending and orienting the gemstone; and

means disposed in the groove for fastening the gemstone to the means for suspending and orienting.

18. The pendant of claim 17 where the means for suspending and orienting the gemstone comprises a bail.

19. A method of suspending a gem comprising:

fitting a wire into a groove around a girdle of the gem; and

attaching the wire to a hanger.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising maintaining the orientation of the gem relative to the hanger.