GB2461075A

GB2461075A - Hollow jewellery item

Info

Publication number: GB2461075A
Application number: GB0811308A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Solange Azagury-Partridge
Original assignee: SOLANGE Ltd
Current assignee: SOLANGE Ltd
Priority date: 2008-06-19
Filing date: 2008-06-19
Publication date: 2009-12-23
Also published as: GB0811308D0

Abstract

A hollow jewellery item 10 comprises a skeleton defining a plurality of neighbouring spaces 14 bounded by limbs of the skeleton 12, and enamel infill 14a in said spaces. The skeleton may corresponds to the shape of a gemstone and the in filled spaces correspond to the facets of a gemstone. The limbs 12 may comprise precious metal. After the frame is completed an enamel paste is applied to the apertures, the paste being of a consistency which is self supporting within the aperture. The enamel paste is then heated to fuse the paste and render it transparent. A further final layer of enamel may be applied to each space and a final fusing step may be carried out.

Description

Jewellery This invention relates to jewellery.

Jewellery typically comprises one or more precious stones in a mount of precious metal. Such jewellery is expensive, and the cost of a single piece is often proportionate to the size of the precious stones incorporated in the piece.

Jewellery may include enamelled features, by which glass is substituted for precious stones. In such jewellery, the enamel such as, for example, plique-a-jour enamel, is generally fused within a framework of precious metal backed by a removable substrate, and is relatively inexpensive notwithstanding that the quality of However it is very difficult to create jewellery which has the same appearance as jewellery incorporating precious stones. What is required is jewellery that is relatively inexpensive, and can better simulate precious stones.

According to the invention there is provided hollow jewellery comprising a skeleton defining a plurality of neighbouring spaces bounded by limbs of the skeleton, and enamel infill in said spaces.

Such jewellery is relatively light in weight, yet provides the illusion of a precious stone by virtue of light passing through the enamel infill.

In a preferred embodiment the skeleton is of precious metal, such as gold, silver or platinum, and the enamel infill is a single colour closely replicating a precious stone, such as ruby, diamond, emerald or sapphire.

In an alternative embodiment several colours of enamel infill may be provided in a single piece of jewellery, so as to enhance the light transmitting properties thereof whilst providing a novel multi-coloured piece.

The skeleton may be formed in any desired shape, and may replicate a standard cut of precious stone. The enamel infihl may be applied in single or successive layers to the intent that the jewellery piece has enamelled facets flush with the external skeleton faces.

The invention also providesa method of manufacturing jewellery comprising forming a skeleton of metal defining a plurality of neighbouring spaces between the limbs of the skeleton, and enamelling within said spaces so as to produce a vessel having a substantially complete exterior surface and a hollow interior.

According to an embodiment of the method, self-supporting enamel paste is applied to each space bounded by said limbs, and is subsequently heated to fuse the paste so as to render it translucent. Paste may be applied to each space individually, followed by a single fusing step. Alternatively one or more spaces may be filled and fused prior to other spaces.

In a preferred embodiment the jewellery piece is polished subsequent to the enamelling step so as to render the enamel facets flush with the outer skeleton surface.

The enamel may be applied in several steps, so that each space comprises successive layers, and in a preferred embodiment the final layer is applied to each space at the same time, so as to facilitate a final fusing step for each space.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the following figures in which Figure 1 shows a side view of a skeleton in the form of a round cut gemstone; and Figure 2 shows a perspective view from above of the skeleton of figure 1.

Referring to the figures there is shown a skeletal frame, generally designated 10, which has the shape of a round cut gemstone. The frame 10 is comprised of a plurality of limbs 12 which are connected to one another to define the frame 10. The connected limbs 12 define a plurality of apertures 14 having shapes which correspond to facets of a desired gemstone cut. The limbs 12 may be comprised of a precious metal such as, for example, platinum, yellow gold, white gold or silver.

After the frame 10 has been completed, an enamel paste is applied to one or more of the apertures 14. In the figures the hatching lines 16 indicate the application of the enamel paste to an aperture 14a having a shape corresponding to that of a kite facet.

The consistency of the enamel paste 16 is such that it is self supporting within the aperture 14a. This is to say that the enamel paste 16, once applied to the aperture 14a in a sufficient quantity, spans the aperture 1 4a between the bounding limbs thereof and resists falling or running from the aperture 14a. The enamel paste 16 is then heated to fuse the paste 16 so as to render it translucent. All of the apertures 14 of the frame 10 may be filled with the same colour of enamel paste 16 so as to provide a hollow jewellery item of uniform colour. The colour may correspond to that of a gemstone. Alternatively, different colours of enamel paste 16 may be used so as to provide a multi coloured hollow jewellery item.

While the figures show a frame 10 having the configuration of a round cut gemstone, it will be appreciated that frames having alternative configurations may be constructed. For example, frames corresponding but not limited to the following configurations may be constructed: half moon, baguette, emerald square, cushion, trillion, trillion curve, marquise, heart, triangle, pear, oval, calf, radian, emerald square and princess.

While the present invention relates to the filling of spaces within a frame with enamel to define a hollow jewellery item, a similar effect may be obtained by forming a hollow body from precious metal having the exterior shape of a cut gemstone and then enamelling the exterior surface of the hollow body. The hollow body may be formed from a sheet of precious metal or, alternatively, a plurality of plates of precious metal.