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(11) | EP 2 389 827 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
| published in accordance with Art. 153(4) EPC |
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| (54) | JEWELLERY-SETTING METHOD AND RESULTING JEWELLERY ITEM |
| (57) The invention relates to a setting method for setting jewelry made from metal and
stones set in a seat (12) existing or made in the base metal (1) by means of wires
(3) of the same material as the jewelry (1), such wires welded above and along the
sides of the slot in which the stone is set so that it is held firmly and imperceptibly.
The jewelry obtained by this method has an inner frame in the slot (12) in which the
stone is set, formed by a metal wire (2) welded along all or part of the periphery
of said slot (12). |
Object of the Invention
[0001] As indicated by its title, the present invention relates to a setting method for setting jewelry, i.e., fixing the stone in a hole or slot existing in the metal from which the part is made, having an internal shape and dimensions close to the stones to be received in it and a peripheral support surface in which the stones deposited in the mentioned seats are secured in the final mounting position.
[0002] It is a method developed by industrial and not hand-crafted means, therefore its legal protection through this route is appropriate, while at the same time providing significant advantages in terms of improving the times and the manual labor in the development of this work, with the consequent economic advantage of this process with respect to traditional methods.
Background of the Invention
[0003] There are currently several methods for setting jewelry either by fixing the stone in a bezel, prong or a channel. Bezels and prongs are circular metal holes closed on their faces; bezels are smaller than prongs. The channels are continuous or discontinuous elongated holes in which the stones enter with certain precision, being attached or separated by an intermediate metal sheet.
[0004] To fix a stone in a prong or bezel, a groove is made in the inner part of the hole by means of a cutter or burin, parallel to its outer edge. The stone is set in said hole by pressure or by slightly deforming the upper surface of the groove made to slightly reduce the inner diameter of the hole so that the stone is trapped in it by means of chiseling, spooning, or also by making star points or spots in the upper face of the metal by means of a burin or other suitable tool.
[0005] Stones can also be fixed in a channel by pressing the sides of the channel, or by tightening one side while striking the opposite side until they are fastened. A setting method know as flush setting consisting of chiseling the part with a burin, making thin cuts and polishing with the tool to form a metal surface above the stone in the periphery holding it in the final position.
[0006] There are also patent documents relating to methods having these features:
Document FR-2476459 describes a now conventional industrial method for making jewelry comprising the following operations: first, the base of the jewelry is made from the precious material, for example, a ring; second, a cylindrical drill hole having suitable dimensions is made in said base by means of a drill bit; third, a pre-setting neck, the dimensions of which must be adapted to those of the stone, is made in the contour of said cylindrical drill hole by means of an offsetting reamer, and finally the stone is placed in the pre-setting neck and is fastened by nails.
Document ES-U0205316 describes a setting having a base bar in which a plurality of contiguous conical openings have been made, and along an entire side of its upper surface, it integrally receives a wire with a suitable section, on the inner side of which an angular longitudinal groove has been made such that the stones fit into those openings, while their side edges or vertices are introduced into the angular groove, the fastening being completed by means of the axial arrangement in the opposite side of the bar of a plurality of vertical wires or hooks which are flattened and tightened on the stones, securing its mounting and enhancing it due to the fact that the base bars can adopt any layout or drawing necessary.
Document W9815202 describes a setting method for setting stones in the surface of jewelry produced by electroforming, which consists of producing a base having external shapes and dimensions with a thickness close to the gold film forming the wall of the jewel to be produced and having seats for receiving the stones; depositing on the base, before setting the stones, a protective coating, then a thin gold film; setting the stones in said seats; then depositing a second thicker gold film; and finally extracting or removing said base and said protective coating.
Description of the Invention
[0007] The setting method for setting jewelry of the invention envisages setting stones by means of wires or thin metal sheets of the same material as the jewelry which are welded above and along the sides of the slot in which the stone is set so that it is held firmly and imperceptibly.
[0008] These wires for fastening the stone are optionally welded along the entire length and width or discontinuously at specific points; they can also be welded in the corners of the slot or hole in which the stone is inserted. When the setting is a channel composition, they can also be welded between two attached stones from one side of the hole to the other, forming in this case a separator element between the stones placed in said channel.
[0009] The welding is preferably done by a laser ray since it is fusion welding process which, since it uses the energy provided by a laser beam to melt and recrystallize the material or materials to be joined, does not require external filler material other than the molten material, whereby a very thin and homogenous finish is obtained.
Description of the Drawings
[0010] To complement the description that is being made and for the purpose of aiding to better understand the features of the invention, a set of drawings is attached to the present specification in which the following has been depicted with an illustrative and non-limiting character:
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of jewelry made with the method of the invention.
Preferred Embodiment of the Invention
[0011] As can be observed in the mentioned figure, the jewelry made by means of this novel setting method is made from precious metals (1) and stones (2) set in a seat (12) existing or made in the base metal (1) having an internal shape and dimensions close to the stones to be received in it and a peripheral surface (11) on which the stones deposited in the mentioned seats are supported and secured in the final mounting position.
[0012] According to an essential feature of the invention, the sides of said slot (12) are framed by a wire or metal sheet (2) which has been welded along all or part of the periphery of said slot (12) and forms the mechanical holding means for holding the stone or stones (2) which are thus set in the metal (1) of the jewelry.
[0013] Having sufficiently described the nature of the present invention as well as a preferred embodiment thereof, it is hereby stated that the materials, shape, size and arrangement of the described elements could be modified, provided that it does not change the essential features of the invention which are claimed below
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description