Jewelry Clasp

Abstract

A jewelry clasp is provided for use with one or more jewelry strands and further comprises, in one embodiment, a spring clasp with first and second bead pins attached thereto. Each bead pin comprises a removable bead that allows for attachment of the jewelry strands to the bead pins and maintains the jewelry strands attached thereto. Different jewelry strands can be interchangeably attached to a single jewelry clasp to create a desired appearance or effect.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a jewelry clasp generally, and more particularly to a jewelry clasp comprising means to hold multiple, easily replaceable and interchangeable jewelry items.

BACKGROUND

Jewelry items such as necklaces and bracelets are usually selected to match a particular lifestyle, outfit, theme or engagement. However, acquiring a unique piece of jewelry for every outfit, theme, trend, season or engagement is expensive and impractical for some. While certain standard jewelry made from gold, silver or diamonds may have widespread application, other jewelry items based on variations in color, shape and/or material, are generally only usable in limited situations.

Jewelry items such as necklaces and bracelets also usually come in a fixed design, where the jewelry pieces cannot be modified. This results in the wearing of multiple items to create a varied appearance. For example, if you own a ruby bracelet, a diamond bracelet and an emerald bracelet, you might wear the ruby and diamond bracelets on Valentine's Day, and the ruby and emerald bracelets on Christmas. Similarly, you might wear all three bracelets to match an outfit that is red, white and green. However, as the number of jewelry items increases, so does the opportunity for entanglement and the like.

There is a need, therefore, for an interchangeable jewelry item that can be designed to accommodate a variety of different lifestyles, outfits, themes or engagements, and would be beneficial to someone who travels, either for business or pleasure, and doesn't want to bring a large selection of fine jewelry with them. There is a further need for a jewelry item that can flexibly and interchangeably accommodate a variety of different jewelry pieces without concerns of entanglement and the like that are normally experienced when using a plurality of separate pieces of jewelry.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a jewelry clasp is provided for use with one or more jewelry strands and further comprises a spring clasp with first and second bead pins attached thereto. Each bead pin comprises a removable bead that allows for attachment of the jewelry strands to the bead pins and maintains the jewelry strands attached thereto. Different jewelry strands can be interchangeably attached to a single jewelry clasp to create a desired appearance or effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a jewelry clasp of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of the jewelry clasp of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates use of the jewelry clasp of FIG. 1 with multiple jewelry strands attached thereto.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the jewelry clasp of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of a jewelry clasp of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of a jewelry clasp of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of a jewelry clasp of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a kit of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a kit of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This disclosure describes the best mode or modes of practicing the invention as presently contemplated. This description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense, but provides an example of the invention presented solely for illustrative purposes by reference to the accompanying drawings to advise one of ordinary skill in the art of the advantages and construction of the invention. In the various views of the drawings, like reference characters designate like or similar parts.

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate one embodiment of a jewelry clasp 100 for accommodating at least one jewelry strand 200 (FIG. 1), and more preferably a plurality of jewelry strands 210, 220, 230 as shown in FIG. 3. The strands 200-230 in FIGS. 1 and 3 are shown for purposes of illustration and by way of example only, it being understood that each strand can comprise a variety of different jewelry items having a variety of different shapes (i.e., spherical, polygonal, figurine, novelty, etc., or a combination), sizes, lengths, and materials (i.e., glass, crystal, pearls, wood, shell, gemstone, etc., or a combination). The strands can be made in different lengths and preferably one inch shorter that the conventional lengths of sixteen inch, eighteen inch and twenty inch, etc. because the clasp 100 is longer than a traditional clasp. Also, different lengths can be mixed for a particular effect.

The jewelry clasp 100 further comprises a spring clasp 110 that functions as a joining member for joining the ends 202, 204 of a jewelry strand 200 (FIG. 1) to form a wearable jewelry piece 250 (FIG. 1). Such ends 202, 204 can each comprise a closed jump ring for example, or one end could comprise a simple spring clasp as is known with traditional necklaces or bracelets. The jewelry piece 250 can be worn as a necklace, bracelet, anklet, etc., it being understood that the type of jewelry piece and the desired wearing location can be varied with the length of the jewelry strand attached to the jewelry clasp 100. In addition, while a fancy spring clasp 110 is illustrated, it will be appreciated that other types of clasps can be used without departing from its function as a joining member.

Returning to the clasp 100, a pair of double rings 120, 122 extend outwardly from the spring clasp 110, with the ring 122 preferably being fixed between a pair of stops 112, 114 and the ring 120 preferably being releasable from the clasp 110 by a spring latch 118 defined between stops 114 and 116. Closed jump rings 130, 132 connect the double rings 120, 122 with bead pins 140, 142 having beads 150, 152 removably attached thereto. While FIG. 4 illustrates a threaded connection between the bead pins 140, 142 and beads 150, 152, it will be appreciated that other methods of attachment may be used.

Operation of the jewelry clasp 100 is fairly straightforward. To attach one jewelry strand 200 (FIG. 1) or multiple strands 210, 220, 230 (FIG. 3) to the jewelry clasp 100, the beads 150, 152 are removed and the ends of the strand or strands are advanced along the bead pins 140, 142 until a desired effect is achieved. Then the beads 150, 152 are re-attached to the bead pins 140, 142 to secure the strands in place. When it is desired to change the look of the jewelry piece, the beads are removed and the strand or strands are withdrawn from the bead pins in preparation for the attachment of new strands.

The bead pins 140, 142 should be of a length adequate to attach multiple strands. A three-quarter inch bead pin can usually only accommodate about five strands, while a one-inch bead pin can accommodate more than five strands, with ten or more strands being a possibility. Multiple strands of different lengths can be used as shown in FIG. 3. Each strand can also be positioned on the clasp 100 in order such that the ends of the first strand are positioned on the bead pins before the ends of the second strand, and so on. Alternatively, the ends of the strands can be positioned out of order to create a twisted appearance. In either case, positioning the ends of the strands on the bead pins maintains the ends together and prevents the separate stands from becoming entangled.

The preferred arrangement of the double rings 120, 122 in combination with the jump rings 130, 132, function to space the bead pins 140, 142 away from the clasp 110 and provide the bead pins with flexibility of movement. The closed jump rings 130, 132 can be any shape or size, although the present inventor has found that an oval shape is preferred because less movement would occur between the jump ring and the bead pin.

The beads 150, 152 can also be any shape or size and can be varied along with the strands. For example, while FIGS. 1-4 illustrate spherical beads 150, 152, perhaps to be consistent with spherical shaped items on the strands shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, other shapes can be used such as polygonal shapes as shown with beads 156, 157 of FIG. 5. Other shapes, designs and configurations are contemplated. In addition, it is not necessary for the beads to be the same shape as shown with beads 158, 159 of FIG. 6.

While FIGS. 1-4 illustrate one embodiment of a jewelry clasp having a pair of attachment members each defined by a jump ring, bead pin and bead, it will be appreciated that certain jewelry items may require more than two such attachment members (not shown), or only require one such attachment member as shown with an earring 300 illustrated in FIG. 7. With FIG. 7, the same principle of operation applies, where a removable bead 350 provides access to a bead pin 340 for accommodating at least one jewelry strand 305. Jump ring 330 connects the bead pin 340 to an earring post 320 that is secured to an ear (not shown) via a cap 310. Multiple strands can be applied to the bead pin 340 to create a desired effect.

FIG. 8 illustrates a kit 400 including all of the items discussed in FIGS. 1-7, to illustrate that the jewelry clasp of the present invention can be used to create an interchangeable jewelry item designed to accommodate a variety of different lifestyles, outfits, themes or engagements. It will be appreciated that various kits can be vended to address consistent themes. For example, a “rainbow” kit can comprise a single jewelry clasp vended with strands of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. A “metal” kit can comprise a variety of strands of different metals such as gold, silver, pewter, titanium, etc. Similarly, a “beach” kit 500 as shown in FIG. 9 can have strands 510, 520, 530 and 540 made from different shell types. Similarly, a high-end “gemstone” kit can have strands made from precious gemstones, and so on. Such kits can be vended with or without a jewelry clasp, it being understood that more than one jewelry clasp may not be necessary for the average user.

While the present invention has been described at some length and with some particularity with respect to the several described embodiments, it is not intended that it should be limited to any such particulars or embodiments or any particular embodiment, but it is to be construed with references to the appended claims so as to provide the broadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior art and, therefore, to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention. Furthermore, the foregoing describes the invention in terms of embodiments foreseen by the inventor for which an enabling description was available, notwithstanding that insubstantial modifications of the invention, not presently foreseen, may nonetheless represent equivalents thereto.

Claims

1. A jewelry clasp comprising:

a) an annular joining member having an outer surface;

b) a first attachment member connected to the joining member and being slidable along the outer surface of the annual joining member; and

c) a second attachment member connected to the joining member and being slidable along the outer surface of the annual joining member;

d) each of the first and second attachment members further comprising a pin with a removable fastener.

2. (canceled)

3. The jewelry clasp of claim 1, wherein the removable fastener is a threaded bead.

4. The jewelry clasp of claim 3, wherein the threaded bead is spherical.

5. The jewelry clasp of claim 3, wherein the threaded bead is polygonal.

6. The jewelry clasp of claim 1, wherein the first attachment member further comprises a first removable fastener having a first shape, and the second attachment member further comprises a second removable fastener having a second shape.

7. The jewelry clasp of claim 6, wherein the first and second shapes are the same.

8. The jewelry clasp of claim 7, wherein the first and second shapes are different.

9. The jewelry clasp of claim 1, wherein the joining member further comprises a spring clasp.

10. The jewelry clasp of claim 1, further comprising at least one jewelry strand removably attached between each pin to connect the first and second pins to form, with the annular joining member, a continuous jewelry chain.

11. A jewelry clasp comprising:

a) an annular, openable spring clasp having an outer surface;

b) a first double-ring having a first ring portion slidable along the outer surface of the annular spring clasp, and a second ring portion attached to a first bead pin, the first bead pin having a first bead removably fastened thereto, and

c) a second double-ring having a first ring portion slidable along the outer surface of the annular spring clasp, and a second ring portion attached to a second bead pin attached to the spring clasp, the second bead pin having a second bead removably fastened thereto

d) least one of the first ring port is removable from the jewelry clasp.

12. The jewelry clasp of claim 11, further comprising at least one jewelry strand removably attached between the first and second bead pin to connect the first and second bead pins to form, with the spring clasp, a continuous jewelry chain.

13. The jewelry clasp of claim 11, wherein the first and second beads have the same shape.

14. The jewelry clasp of claim 11, wherein the first and second beads have different shapes.

15. The jewelry clasp of claim 14, wherein one of the first and second beads is polygonal.

16. A jewelry kit comprising:

a) an openable spring clasp having an outer surface;

b) a first bead pin attached to the spring clasp, the first bead pin having a first bead removably fastened thereto; and

c) a second bead pin attached to the spring clasp, the second bead pin having a second bead removably fastened thereto;

d) the first and second bead pins being attached to the spring clasp by first and second rings respectively that are each slidable along the outer surface of the spring clasp, at least one of the first and second rings being removable from the spring clasp; and

e) at least one jewelry strand for attachment between the first and second bead pins.

17. The jewelry kit of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of jewelry strands.

18. (canceled)

19. The jewelry kit of claim 18, further comprising at least one jewelry strand attached between the first and second bead pins to form a jewelry chain.

20. The jewelry kit of claim 17, wherein the plurality of jewelry strands is arranged according to a consistent theme.

21. The jewelry clasp of claim 1, further comprising one or more stops on the outer surface of the annular joining member for limiting the range of sliding movement of the attachment members.

22. The jewelry clasp of claim 11, further comprising one or more stops on the outer surface of the spring clasp for limiting the range of sliding movement of the double-rings.