[0001] The present invention relates to a jewel.
[0002] In the field of jewelry and costume jewelry it is known to provide jewels made of
various materials provided with decorative stones.
[0003] Generally, these stones are fixed directly to the jewel by manual bezel setting or
prong setting.
[0004] In order to allow these operations, it is necessary to provide on the jewel, at the
seat where the stones are to be inserted, a resting base on which the stone is to
be positioned before prong setting or during bezel setting and the stone must have
such a geometry as to facilitate these fixing operations.
[0005] If one wishes to have stones visible on two or more sides, with the method described
above it is necessary to duplicate the number of stones, applying them to the individual
sides, with a consequent increase in costs and thickening of the material.
[0006] The aim of the present invention is to devise a jewel which, if provided with stones,
allows to make them visible on multiple sides, even opposite ones, in an aesthetically
uniform manner while maintaining very low thicknesses of the metal.
[0007] Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a jewel which,
if provided with stones, is protected from accidental losses of said stones.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a jewel that is capable of
keeping its shape even after improper handling of the jewel.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a jewel that is economically
advantageous with respect to jewels provided by the background art.
[0010] This aim, these objects and others which will become better apparent hereinafter
are achieved by a jewel, characterized in that it comprises at least two chains constituted
at least partly by first circular rings in such a manner that each link of said at
least two chains comprises at least one of said first circular rings, said at least
two chains being arranged mutually side by side, each one of said first circular rings
that belongs to one of said at least two chains being arranged at another one of said
first circular rings that belongs to the other one of said at least two chains substantially
coaxially, said at least two chains being furthermore mutually associated by means
of second rings which are concatenated with said first circular rings transversely
with respect to the direction of concatenation of each one of said at least two chains,
said second rings having an axial thickness that is greater than a difference between
an inside diameter of said first circular rings and a sum of the thicknesses of the
elements that are concatenated to said first circular rings, so that each one of said
second rings remains trapped between said concatenated elements and the portion of
said first circular ring that is surrounded by said second ring.
[0011] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent
from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a jewel according
to the invention, illustrated by way of nonlimiting example in the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a jewel according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an enlarged-scale view of a detail of the jewel shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the jewel shown in the preceding figures;
Figure 4 is an enlarged-scale view of a detail of the jewel shown in Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a front view of the jewel shown in the preceding figures;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a portion of a jewel according to the present invention
provided with precious and/or non-precious stones;
Figure 7 is a top plan view of the jewel shown in Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a front view of the jewel shown in the two preceding figures;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of a portion of a first variation of the jewel shown
in the preceding figures;
Figure 10 is a top plan view of the jewel shown in Figure 9;
Figure 11 is a front view of the jewel shown in the two preceding figures;
Figure 12 is a perspective view of a portion of a second variation of the improved
jewel shown in the preceding figures;
Figure 13 is a top plan view of the jewel shown in Figure 12;
Figure 14 is a front view of the jewel shown in the two preceding figures;
Figure 15 is a perspective view of a portion of the second variation of the jewel
shown in the preceding figures, provided with precious and/or non-precious stones;
Figure 16 is a top plan view of the jewel shown in Figure 15;
Figure 17 is a front view of the jewel shown in the two preceding figures;
Figure 18 is a front view of the jewel shown in Figure 1, provided both with precious
and/or non-precious stones and with additional decorative elements such as decorative
plates.
[0012] With reference to the figures, the jewel, designated generally in the various proposed
variations respectively by the reference numerals 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e and If, comprises
at least two chains constituted at least partially by first circular rings 2 so that
each link of the two chains comprises at least one of the first circular rings 2.
[0013] More specifically, in the proposed embodiments, the chains shown are constituted
exclusively by first circular rings 2 and in particular each link of the chains is
constituted by two first circular rings which are mutually concatenated and are offset
by 90°.
[0014] However, as will become better apparent hereinafter, it is not excluded that the
individual links might be constituted by a first circular ring 2 and by another concatenated
element that is different from the ones shown.
[0015] Conveniently, the chains are arranged mutually side by side so that each first circular
ring 2 that belongs to one chain is arranged at another first circular ring 2 that
belongs to the other chain substantially coaxially.
[0016] Depending on the desired aesthetic impact, it is possible to provide a plurality
of chains, for example three or more, arranged mutually side by side on a same plane,
so as to create a band-like effect, or on offset planes, so as to form a three-dimensional
structure.
[0017] Regardless of the number of chains, for each pair or set of three or four side-by-side
chains, such chains are mutually associated by means of second rings 3, for example
also of the circular type, which are concatenated with the first circular rings 2
transversely with respect to the direction of concatenation of each chain.
[0018] Advantageously, the second rings 3 have an axial thickness that is greater than the
difference between the inside diameter of the first circular rings 2 and the sum of
the thicknesses of the elements that are concatenated with the first circular rings
2 so that each one of the second rings 3 remains trapped between the concatenated
elements, i.e., between the first circular rings 2, and the portion of the first circular
ring 2 that is surrounded by the second ring 3.
[0019] Both the first rings 2 and the second rings 3 can be obtained for example from a
wire having a semicircular cross-section.
[0020] To complete the jewels described above it is possible to provide first decorative
elements 4 which are associated with at least one of the second rings 3, such as for
example decorative plates, and/or it is possible to provide second decorative elements
5 which are interposed between two consecutive second rings 3 and consist for example
of precious and/or non-precious stones of the perforated type crossed by a connecting
element 6.
[0021] The connecting element 6 can be, for example, an elastic filament, a metallic wire
or a chain.
[0022] In practice it has been found that the jewel according to the invention allows to
use spherical, smooth or faceted stones, alone or in combination with further decorative
elements, so as to be visible on two or more sides of the jewel.
[0023] Another advantage of the jewel according to the invention resides in that it has
parts in which the metal portion is thinner and lighter, therefore cheaper, than the
background art and with a smaller number of stones, ensuring a cost reduction.
[0024] In other words, a jewel has been provided which simulates an effect that is impossible
to obtain with the background art.
[0025] Moreover, it is appropriate to point out that the jewel according to the invention
has a certain modularity, allowing customized assembly as a function of the aesthetic
requirements of the user, being able to choose rings even of different materials/colors,
like the stones and/or the decorative plates, maintaining during use the nominal configuration
by virtue of the trapping of the connecting rings between one chain and the other.
[0026] The jewel thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations,
all of which are within the scope of the accompanying claims.
[0027] All the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
[0028] In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions,
may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.
[0029] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No.
102018000007867 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
[0030] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs,
those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility
of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect
on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference
signs.
1. A jewel (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f), characterized in that it comprises at least two chains constituted at least partly by first circular rings
(2) in such a manner that each link of said at least two chains comprises at least
one of said first circular rings (2), said at least two chains being arranged mutually
side by side, each one of said first circular rings (2) that belongs to one of said
at least two chains being arranged at another one of said first circular rings (2)
that belongs to the other one of said at least two chains substantially coaxially,
said at least two chains being furthermore mutually associated by means of second
rings (3) which are concatenated with said first circular rings (2) transversely with
respect to the direction of concatenation of each one of said at least two chains,
said second rings (3) having an axial thickness that is greater than a difference
between an inside diameter of said first circular rings (2) and a sum of the thicknesses
of the elements that are concatenated to said first circular rings (2), so that each
one of said second rings (3) remains trapped between said concatenated elements and
the portion of said first circular ring (2) that is surrounded by said second ring
(3).
2. The jewel (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to claim 1, characterized in that each one of said links of said at least two chains is constituted by two of said
first circular rings (2) which are concatenated.
3. The jewel (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said second rings (3) are of the circular type.
4. The jewel (1c, 1d, 1e) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least two chains comprise a plurality of chains arranged mutually side by
side, each one of said first circular rings (2) that belongs to one of said chains
being arranged at one of said first circular rings (2) that belongs to the other one
of said chains substantially coaxially, said chains being further mutually associated
by means of said second rings (3) which are concatenated with said first circular
rings (2) transversely with respect to the direction of concatenation of each one
of said chains.
5. The jewel (If) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises first decorative elements (4) which are associated with at least one
of said second rings (3).
6. The jewel (If) according to claim 5, characterized in that said first decorative elements (4) comprise decorative plates.
7. The jewel (1b, 1e, 1f) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises second decorative elements (5) which are interposed between two of said
second rings (3).
8. The jewel (1b, 1e, 1f) according to claim 7, characterized in that said second decorative elements (5) comprise precious and/or non-precious stones.
9. The jewel (1b, 1e, 1f) according to claim 8, characterized in that said precious and/or non-precious stones are of the perforated type and are crossed
by a connecting element (6).