GB2113528A - Ear rings - Google Patents

Abstract

An ear ring has a stem 16 to pass through the ear aperture, a loop 18 at the end of that stem, and a retainer 22 captive in that loop but free to pivot between co-linear and transverse positions. Figure 3 shows the ear-ring in the captive-to-the-ear position. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Ear rings This invention relates to so-called ear rings which are ornamental objects worn on the ear lobes. Two kinds are known, namely a first kind where the ear lobe is gripped by a miniature clamp, but the lobe is not pierced, and the second kind - that to which the invention is applicable, where the ear lobe is pierced.

in this second kind, it is conventional to provide the ornamental object with a stem of wire which, in use, is pushed through the hole in the ear lobe and is retained in place by a so-called "butterfly" which is in fact a friction washer or the like pushed onto the stem on the opposite side of the ear lobe to the ornamental part. Difficulties are sometimes encountered, in that if the friction device is too loose on the stem, it may fall off, and the ear ring may be lost without the wearer appreciating its fall from the ear.

If it is too tight, the user may have difficulty in threading it upon the stem, and because the stem is necessarily of very small diameter to pass through the comparably small hole in the ear lobe, a fumbled attempt to fit it may result in the stem becoming bent and in removing the stem from the ear to try and straighten it, the user may be caused some pain.

There is therefore a long felt want for a better more efficient and simpler means of attaching ear rings to pierced ears.

In the jewellery trade there is a known design of man's cuff link which has some analogies to an ear ring, in that it comprises an ornamental head which is visible on one side of the cuff, a stem which passes through the two parts of the cuff and a retainer at the opposite end of the stem which (in this case) serves to hold the cuff parts together but equally serves to prevent loss of the cuff link.One such known design of cuff link has the stem provided with a bifurcated part and the retainer consists of a bar pivoted in the bifurcation and midway along the length of the retainer, with a kind of spring detent, or possibly with a very stiff frictional joint so that the retainer can be initially located as a generally co-linear extension of the stem when it is being pushed through the holes in the cuff parts, and it can then be turned through 90" so as to form a Tee like end to the stem in its retaining position.

A construction of this kind would be suitable for an ear ring but for the fact that it would not be possible to make a hole of adequate size in the ear in any fashion acceptable to present day society. Attempts to miniaturise the construction experimentally have not led to success, because the smallest possible size for the joint between the retainer and the stem is dicated by the smallest possible size for the pivot pin on which the retainer would be mounted plus a sufficient thickness of metal all round the pin to journal the same, and by the time appropriate dimensions are selected, the parts are far too weak and would be insufficiently stiff for the required purposes.

According to the invention, the problem is solved in that the stem of an ear ring comprises a loop, and a retainer has a waist located in the loop and portions on opposite sides of the waist of greater cross sectional thickness, the retainer being freely movable through about 90" from a position in which it is generally co-linear with the stem to a position extending generally at right angles thereto.

Preferably the stem is made of fine wire doubled so as to provide the loop at the end remote from the ornamental object, and so that two lengths of the wire lie closely side by side between the loop perse and the ornamental object. The retainer may also be formed of a length of wire, of similar cross sectional shape, or the same cross sectional shape and dimension as that used for the stem, this may be formed into a generally flattened S so that two parts of the wire lie on each side of the loop but only a single portion of the wire extends through the loop.

By these preferred means, the maximum dimension of the assembly in one plane is equal to three times the thickness of the wire whereas the average thickness in that plane is equal to twice the thickness of the wire. In a plane at right angles, the average thickness is that of a single length of the wire but in the vicinity of the loop (and when the parts are in the generally co-linear position) there is a maximum of two thicknesses of the wire.

Alternatively and preferably the retainer is made of a single length of wire formed with a waist so as to be axially captive but pivotally free in the loop.

The invention dispenses with the spring loading or frictional resistance as used with the cuff link, and instead the retainer may be freely pivotable so that it falls by gravity when appropriately inserted.

A presently preferred embodiment of the invention is now more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:- Figure 1 is a side elevation of an ear ring; Figure 2 is a plan view of the same; Figure 3 is a view showing the same ear ring in the normal position when worn; Figure 4 is an end elevation of the parts in the Figure 3 arrangement; and Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to Figures 1 and 2 showing an alternative construction.

The ear ring shown in Figures 1 - 4 of the drawings comprises a stone, such as a diamond 10 mounted in appropriate claw setting 12, but it is to be apprecaited that any other ornamental object which may be used for an ear ring can be substituted for the parts 10and12.

The stem, that is the part which is to extend through the ear comprises a length of wire, here illustrated as being of round cross section but this is immaterial, and it may be advantageous to use wire of half round section, and it is bent into a U-shape having two parallel limbs 1416 which lie closely adjacent to of lie another but are slightly spaced apart to form the loop 18 at the free end of the stem. This configuration is best seen from Figure 2.

As best seen from Figure 1,the loop portion 18 is bent slightly out of the plane containing the axes of the straight portions 14 and 16.

The retainer is seen to consist of a flattened S having first an second limbs 20 22 lying closely adjacent to one another, with the limb 22 terminating at the loop and the limb 20 extending through the loop where it is effectively joggled so that a continuation of the same at 24 is generally co-linear with the portion 22, and a final limb 26, which lies closely parallel to the limb 24 and also terminates at the loop 18, but on the opposite side of the same to the portion 22, lies generally co-linear with the portion 20.

As also seen in Figure 1, the parts 2624 are also bent slightly out of the plane of the parts 20 22 so as to lie parallel thereto and this enables the parts when in the figure 1 and 2 position to have the minimum thickness across the overlapped portions of the parts.

In use, the parts are held in the Figure 1 position for example by light pressure between the finger and thumb applied across the overlapped ends of the parts and the end 30 is guided into the ear aperture.

The slight joggling of both adjacent ends of the parts may be sufficient to enable them to be pushed together by pressure applied to the ornamental end 10 12, until the whole of the joint passes through the ear lobe. Alternatively, once the end 30 is through the thickness of the ear (and it will be noted that in the illustrated embodiment the length of the parts 20 22 substantially equal to that of the parts 14 for this purpose) the joint and the parts 1416 may be drawn through the lobe by pulling on the end 30 after it has passed through the thickness of the lobe.

When this has occurred, and at a time when the parts 1416 extend through the thickness of the lobe and the joint is entirely behind the ear, the ear ring may be rotated if necessary until the parts 20 22 can be allowed to fall to the Figure 3 and 4 illustrated position, in which the parts 20 and 22 hang downwardly. It is believed that the ear ring is then safely captive to the ear against loss, in a far more effcicient fashion thsn is possible with the conventional "butterfly" retainer.

To remove the ear ring from the ear, it is only necessary to lift the parts 20 22 until they are co-linear with the parts 1416 and draw the parts through the ear, generally in the reverse fashion.

In the version of Figures 5-6, the retainer comprises a single length of wire which is flattened at 50 between its ends, and the unflattened portions 52, 54, are effectively joggled so as to lie parallel to one another, and with the stem part, make a slim "bundle" to be threaded through the ear. This ear-ring becomes captive to the ear by a pivotal action as in Figure 3. In manufacture, the loop may be part-formed, the flattened portion 50 located in the loop, and them the limbs 14-16 closed together to complete the loop and make the retainer captive.

Claims (8)

1. An ear-ring comprising a loop formed atthe end of a stem which is intended to be passed through the ear aperture, and a retainer having a waist which is axially captive in the loop, the retainer being pivotable and freely movable between positions in which it is generally co-linear with the stem and in which it extends generally at right angles to the stem.

2. An ear-ring as claimed in Claim 1 in which the stem is made of a length of wire which is doubled so that two limbs lie side-by-side and have their free ends joined to the ornamental object which the ear-ring comprises.

3. An ear-ring as claimed in Claim 2 when the wire forming the loop perse is inclined to the length of said side-by-side limbs.

4. An ear-ring as claimed in any preceding claim when the retainer is formed of a length of wire folded to a flattened S shape which is joggled so that portions lying on opposite sides of the part captive in the loop are generally parallel.

5. An ear-ring as claimed in any of Claims 1-3 when the retainer comprises a single length of wire flattened between its ends where it lies in the loop.

6. An ear-ring as claimed in Claim 5 when the portion of wire on each side of the flattened portion are generally parallel.

7. A method of making an ear-ring as claimed in Claim 5 in which the loop is part-formed, the retainer is inserted in the part-formed loop, and then the loop limbs are closed together to make the retainer captive.

8. An ear-ring substantially as described in Figures 1-4 or 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.