OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention refers to an electro-forming process to make pieces of jewellery
such as rings, earrings, bracelets, brooches and bracelets, mainly based on noble
metals.
[0002] The object of the invention is that the procedure provides a piece that is internally
reinforced and of greater weight than a hollow piece but less than that of a solid
piece with an attractive finish without the need for surface incrustations or enamelling
by using a filler material consisting of a resin that reduces the amount of metal,
reducing costs.
[0003] An additional object of the invention is that the piece of jewellery thus obtained
combines the noble metal and the ornamentation provided by the resin on its surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Invention patent ES 2 159 881 refers to a procedure for setting stones onto the surface
of a piece of jewellery made by electro-forming, involving the making of a base containing
housings with cavities for the stones. A protective layer is deposited onto this base
and then a thin layer of gold; the stones are then set in the above mentioned cavities
with the provision for a second, thicker layer of gold via holes in these cavities.
Finally, the base and protective layer can be extracted or eliminated.
[0005] Invention patent ES 489 841 is also notable: this refers to a procedure for manufacturing
pieces of jewellery in which in an initial phase a solid metal piece is made with
the shape of the final piece. A mould of flexible and elastic material is then made
from this solid piece. A material with a low melting point, for example, wax, is then
placed into this mould to give a solid core and this is then covered by precious metal
using electro-plating. The piece is then heated to a temperature above that of the
melting point of the core material but below that of the precious metal until the
core, in liquid state, is expelled via the opening through which it was introduced;
this opening is then soldered closed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention refers to a procedure for manufacturing pieces of jewellery
that, using a series of stages that are common to other procedures, differs significantly
in the fact that it uses a transparent or coloured resin which is injected into the
piece and integrates with the layer of precious metal, forming its ornamentation without
the need to set stones.
[0007] The procedure is performed according to different steps that start with the initial
forming of a solid piece of any material with a flat or ornamentally embossed surface.
A mould of flexible and elastic material is then made whose internal shape and dimensions
match those of the piece made in the initial stage. This mould is used for manufacturing,
using techniques known as electro-forming, of a base series of models based on an
alloy of metals with a low melting point.
[0008] The base model is coated entirely by a galvanic procedure with one or more layers
of precious metal until it has the required thickness. The base model is then heated
until the metal alloy melts and flows out as a liquid through a breather hole, leaving
a hollow piece comprising the precious metal only.
[0009] From these techniques, common to other technical procedures, the procedure in this
invention stands out fundamentally because after this phase, the entire interior of
the hollow piece is filled or injected with a coloured or transparent resin through
the breather hole and allowed to set solid.
[0010] When the inside of the hollow piece is filled through the breather hole, this breather
hole contains additional resin such that if the resin already injected into the piece
contracts more than expected, this additional resin ensures that the piece is fully
filled with resin, preventing unwanted pores. The breather hole is then cut away.
[0011] The surface layer of the piece is then filed or polished in the areas of interest,
depending on the ornamentation required to expose the resin. The gold removed from
these parts is recovered for other uses.
[0012] Once the breather hole through which the metal alloy was drained and the resin injected
has been removed, an opening remains that can be filed until the resin is exposed
as part of the ornamentation or can be plugged.
[0013] Resins of different colours could be injected at random into a piece so that one
piece could have different decorations according to the different combinations of
colours.
[0014] It is also possible to use as many breather holes as needed for the filling and remove
them once the resin has hardened inside the piece.
[0015] The preferred location for the breather hole would be in at least one of the sections
of the piece where the precious metal is to be filed to leave the resin decoration,
thus also removing any imperfections at this point.
[0016] The breather hole must be perpendicular to the piece to allow it to be filled completely
with resin using gravity.
[0017] This would provide pieces of jewellery consisting of a thin layer or gold with resin
decorations, without the need for setting stones.
[0018] This procedure provides a series of advantages:
- The piece of jewellery is filled with resin, providing it with internal reinforcement.
- The consistency of the piece of jewellery prevents the appearance of dents that appear
in hollow pieces when they are struck, due to their thinness.
- A very thin layer of precious metal is obtained, thus lowering costs.
- It is heavier than a hollow piece and lighter than a solid piece made entirely of
precious metal.
- There is no need to set stones of any type since the resin itself provides a similar
and attractive finish.
- There is no need to apply surface enamels since the resin on the surface is itself
decorative.
- Pieces of jewellery can be made with different decorations or exclusive pieces.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] To complement this description and to aid the better understanding of the properties
of the invention, according to a preferred example of its manufacture, this description
is accompanied by a series of drawings to illustrate, but not limit, it, as follows:
Figure 1. Shows a perspective view of a plain ring showing the breather hole through
which the resin is injected.
Figure 2. Shows a perspective view of the plain ring with the breather hole removed
and showing the injected resin protruding from the ring.
Figure 3. Shows a perspective view of an earring with relief decoration, showing the
sectors that have been polished where the resin protrudes and showing the opening
covered with resin after the breather hole has been removed.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The procedure for manufacturing pieces of jewellery as proposed by this invention
can be applied to a hollow piece (1) of thin hollow precious metal made normally by
electro-forming and then emptied by melting an interior base model and pouring it
out through a breather hole (4), a base model which has previously been galvanised
with the precious metal that makes up the hollow piece (1).
[0021] The phases that make up this procedure are:
- Filling the hollow piece (1) via the breather hole (4), on an opening (2) with a resin
(3) that can be coloured or transparent.
- Allowing the resin (3) to set inside the hollow piece (1) until it solidifies.
- Removal or cutting away of the breather hole (4) to reveal the opening (2).
- Selective filing of areas of the surface of the piece (1) to remove part of the precious
metal to reveal the resin (3) inside.
- The finishing of the opening (2) consists of filing it to remove part of the precious
metal until the resin (3) is revealed and, optionally, an object such as the clasp
of an earring, can be put in its place.
[0022] Figure 3 shows that the opening (2) of the earring, once the breather hole (4) has
been removed, is covered by the resin (3), giving it a finish similar to that of the
contiguous sectors that are already decorated with the resin (3).
[0023] It would be possible during the filling phase of the hollow piece (1) to inject resins
of different types and colours via the opening (2), thus obtaining different final
decorations from the same hollow piece (1).
[0024] It is also possible to use as many breather holes (4) as required for filling the
hollow piece and remove them once the resin (3) has set inside the piece.
[0025] The preferred location of the breather hole (4) would be in at least one of the sectors
of the piece where the precious metal is to be filed to decorate it with resin (3)
and it must be perpendicular to that sector of the piece to fill the hollow piece
with resin (3) by gravity.
[0026] The piece of jewellery made according to the described procedure will be filled with
resin (3) and its visible exterior surface will have sectors with resin (3) together
with others with a thin layer of precious metal.
1. Procedure for manufacturing pieces of jewellery based on a hollow piece (1) of thin
precious metal obtained normally using electro-forming after emptying a base model
from inside it by melting and draining through at least one breather hole (4) located
on at least one opening (2), a base model that has previously been galvanised with
a coating of the precious metal that forms the hollow piece,
characterised in that it comprises the following steps:
- filling the hollow piece (1) through the breather hole(s) (4) on the opening(s)
(2) with at least one type of resin (3),
- allowing the resin (3) to set inside the hollow piece (1) until it solidifies,
- removing or cutting away the breather hole(s) (4) to reveal the opening(s) (2),
- the selective filing of sectors of the surface of the piece (1) to remove part of
the precious metal to reveal the resin (3) inside,
- finishing by covering the opening(s) (2).
2. Procedure for manufacturing pieces of jewellery as in claim 1 characterised in that in the phase of filling the hollow piece (1), resins of different types and colours
are injected through the breather hole(s) (4).
3. Procedure for manufacturing pieces of jewellery as in claim 1 characterised in that the phase of finishing the opening (2) consists of filing or polishing to remove
part of the precious metal to reveal the resin (3) inside.
4. Procedure for manufacturing pieces of jewellery as in claims 1 and 3 characterised in that in the phase of finishing the opening (2) it is covered with a clasp.
5. Piece of jewellery made according to the procedure described in the previous claims
characterised in that it has resin (3) inside and its surface includes sectors with resin (3) together
with a thin layer of precious metal.