Jewelry Item Having Reduced Weight and Enhanced Strength

Abstract

A reduced weight enhanced strength jewelry piece. In the preferred embodiment, the piece is comprised of a left section and a right section, each preferably containing a substantially hollow channel. A central section is also provided. All three sections are preferably formed of the same precious metal, though different metals could be used if contrast is desired in the finished piece. In the preferred embodiment, the central section is a substantially solid piece fitted to match both the left section and the right section. The three sections are joined together to form a jewelry piece. The resultant jewelry piece will have two substantially hollow chambers transected by a substantially solid piece. The substantially solid piece will serve as a brace to the hollow chambers, such that if a force were applied to the jewelry piece transverse to the hollow chambers of the piece, the central section would resist deformation.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to precious metal jewelry in general and to hollow precious metal jewelry in particular.

2. Prior Art

It is well known in the jewelry industry to take steps to reduce the amount of precious metal utilized in the manufacture of various items of jewelry. Principally, this is done to reduce the expense of the piece and thereby either increase the profit margin of the jeweler, allow the piece to be sold at a lower price, or some combination of the two. Some examples of common steps taken to reduce the amount of precious metal required to manufacture jewelry include plating non-precious (or less precious) substrates with precious metal; including divots on the non-visible or interior side of the piece in order to reduce the thickness of the piece, and constructing the piece of hollow components. However, all of the foregoing approaches have disadvantages.

In plated jewelry, the plating can wear away, exposing the substrate. This is obviously undesirable and is considered by many wearers to be cosmetically unacceptable, such that a piece in which the plating has worn away to the point where the substrate is exposed, even in a small area, will no longer be considered wearable. This is a problem with all plated jewelry, but is a particular concern with high wear pieces such as rings.

Pieces that include divots and hollow jewelry share a common disadvantage. The methods used to reduce their precious metal content also reduce their total thickness and, thus, their strength. A piece with excessive divots may be easily dented if the piece is impacted. So too with a hollow piece. Such damage is a concern with all divoted or hollow jewelry, but is a particular problem with high wear pieces such as rings.

In view of the foregoing, a method of manufacturing jewelry meeting the following objectives is desired.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing jewelry in which the amount of precious metal required may be reduced.

It is another object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing jewelry with reduced precious metal content while enhancing the strength of the jewelry piece.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a hollow precious metal jewelry piece with enhanced strength.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a hollow precious metal jewelry piece that is substantially visually indistinguishable from its solid counterparts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A reduced weight enhanced strength jewelry piece is disclosed. In the preferred embodiment, the piece is comprised of a left section and a right section. The left section and the right section each preferably contain a substantially hollow channel, and in the preferred embodiment the left and right sections will be mirror images of each other. A central section is also provided. In the preferred embodiment, the central section is a substantially solid piece fitted to match both the left section and the right section. The three sections may be joined together by sintering, brazing or other common joinder methods to form a jewelry piece. The resultant jewelry piece will have two substantially hollow chambers transected by a substantially solid piece. The substantially solid piece will serve as a brace to the hollow chambers, such that if a force were applied to the jewelry piece transverse to the hollow chambers, the central section would resist deformation of the piece in response to the force.

The central section will preferably be formed of the same precious metal as the left and right sections. Once the three components are joined together, the resultant piece may be machined and polished to both achieve the desired finished shape and to eliminate any visible seams between the sections. Using common components for all three sections will enhance this objective. However, it will be appreciated that different materials may be used for any of the sections if contrast is desired for cosmetic and/or structural purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A is an interior perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a left section of a jewelry piece.

FIG. 1B is an exterior perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a left section of a jewelry piece.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a central section of a jewelry piece.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a central section of a jewelry piece, wherein the central section contains perforations.

FIG. 3A is an interior perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a right section of a jewelry piece.

FIG. 3B is an exterior perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a right section of a jewelry piece.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective cutaway view of a preferred embodiment of three sections prior to their joinder to form a jewelry piece.

FIG. 5 a perspective cutaway view of a preferred embodiment of three sections subsequent to their joinder to form a jewelry piece.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a finished jewelry piece, formed by the joinder of the three sections illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A reduced weight jewelry piece 1 is disclosed. It will be appreciated that jewelry piece 1 may be any conventional jewelry item, such as brooches, pendants, earrings, chain links, and so forth. However, in the most preferred embodiment, jewelry piece 1 is a ring 2.

In the preferred embodiment, jewelry piece 1 is comprised of a left section 3 and a right section 4. Left section 3 and right section 4 are preferably mirror images of each other. Each section 3, 4 is preferably provided with a hollow channel 5, 6. Channels 5, 6 will preferably run the length or circumference of each section 3, 4. Each channel 5, 6 has an exterior wall 7 and an interior wall 8. Exterior wall 7 will face the surface of jewelry piece 1 and interior wall 8 will face the side of jewelry piece 1 adjacent the wearer. However, it will be appreciated that for some jewelry pieces, such as hoop earrings or chain links, there will be no distinction between the surfaces of the jewelry piece and thus, no distinction between interior wall 8 and exterior wall 7.

Channels 5, 6 will also be provided with a substantially open face 9 and a substantially void space 10 positioned between interior walls 8 and exterior walls 7.

It will be appreciated that if the left and right sections were joined together to form a completed jewelry piece, the channels would form a void space in the interior of the piece. The exterior walls would have little support in this configuration, and they would be easily dented and deformed.

Rather than join the left and right sections directly to each other, a central section 11 is provided. Central section 11 will connect left and right sections 3, 4 to each other. Central section 11 should be operatively affixed to each section 3, 4 and should preferably be operatively affixed to the adjacent exterior walls 7 and interior walls 8. Central section 11 is preferably sintered to the left and right sections 3, 4, although other common methods of joinder, such as welding or soldering could be used as well. When the pieces are joined together, central section 11 will provide support to exterior walls 7 and interior walls 8, and will help protect them from dents and other damage that may result from contact with the environment.

Central section 11 will preferably be shaped to match left and right sections 3, 4. When jewelry piece 1 is a ring, central section 11 will preferably be shaped like a thin washer. However, when jewelry piece 1 is a different jewelry item, central section 11 will have a different shape. For example, if jewelry item 1 were a cross, central section 11 would likely be a straight bar running the length of the center of the cross. Additional central sections 11, also in the form of straight bars, might also be provided in each arm of the cross.

It will often be preferable for central section 11 to be comprised of the same material as left 15 and right sections 3,4. Once the sections are joined, if the materials are uniform, it will be easier to eliminate any visible seams via machining and polishing. However, in some instances, a contrast between central section 11 and left and right sections 3, 4 may be desirable. In that instance, central section 11 may be made of a completely different material from sections 3, 4. For example, central section 11 may be made of platinum while left and right sections 3, 4 are comprised of gold if contrast is desired.

Central section 11 is preferably a solid piece. However, it will be appreciated that the primary function of central section 11 is to provide transverse support to interior and exterior walls 7, 8. Central section 11 could perform this task satisfactorily even if it were not completely solid. Thus, central section 11 could be provided in segments or with a plurality of perforations 12 removed from it in order to save additional precious metal.

In the preferred embodiment, a CNC (computer numerical controlled) lathe is used to form two rings from continuous-cast metal tubing. Channels 5, 6 are then cut into the two rings to form left and right sections 3,4. The central section 3 is also formed using continuous-cast metal tubing and a CNC lathe. The three pieces are then sintered together. The size of the three pieces will vary depending upon the desired dimensions of the finished piece. However, the sections are all sized and shaped to fit tightly together. The piece may then be shaped into the desired configuration using either a manual lathe or a CNC lathe. From this point, the piece may be finished using techniques common to jewelry manufacture such as polishing or engraving.

It is anticipated that by using the preferred method of construction disclosed herein, jewelry pieces in the form of rings and particularly bands may be manufactured using about twenty-five percent less precious metal than would be required to make a similarly sized solid piece, with little reduction in the strength of the finished piece.

Although the sections are preferably manufactured using continuous-cast tubing and a CNC lathe, other common jewelry formation techniques could be utilized as well. These include tube extrusion, casting, and striking, to name a few. Also, it will be appreciated that while the preferred method of construction involves creating three separate pieces and joining them together, the same piece could be formed by joining two sections together in which the central section was formed integrally with one of the sections. Similarly, the piece could be formed from more than three sections or cast as one piece. The method or order of assembly is not critical to the goal of providing a jewelry product in which the precious metal content is economized while the strength of the product is enhanced relative to other reduced weight jewelry pieces.

Although the invention has been described in terms of its preferred embodiment, other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art from a review of the foregoing. Those embodiments as well as the preferred embodiments are intended to be encompassed by the scope and spirit of the following claims.

Claims

1. A reduced weight jewelry piece comprising:

a left section having a substantially hollow channel, said channel having an exterior wall, an interior wall substantially opposite said exterior wall and a substantially void space positioned between said exterior wall and said interior wall;

a right section having a substantially hollow channel, said channel having an exterior wall, an interior wall substantially opposite said exterior wall and a substantially void space positioned between said exterior was and said interior wall; and

a substantially solid central section positioned between and operatively affixed to said right section and said left section, said central section extending from said exterior wall of said right section to said interior wall of said right section, said central section extending from said exterior wall of said left section to said interior wall of said left section, whereby said central section will reinforce said exterior and interior walls of said left and right sections.

2. A reduced weight jewelry piece according to claim 1 wherein said right section, said central section, and said left section are substantially circular.

3. A reduced weight jewelry piece according to claim 1 wherein said central section includes a plurality of apertures.

4. A reduced weight jewelry piece according to claim 1 wherein said left section, said right section, and said central section all comprise precious metals.

5. A reduced weight jewelry piece according to claim 4 wherein said left section, said right section, and said central section all consist of substantially the same precious metal.

6. A reduced weight jewelry piece according to claim 5 wherein said piece is machined and polished to obscure any seams between said sections.