GB2484392A

GB2484392A - Jewellery system

Info

Publication number: GB2484392A
Application number: GB1117071.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicola Jane Blowers
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-10-04
Filing date: 2011-10-04
Publication date: 2012-04-11
Also published as: WO2012046045A2; WO2012046045A3; GB201117071D0; GB201016675D0

Abstract

A jewellery piece 150 including a coupling mechanism for securing an accessory to the jewellery piece, the coupling mechanism comprising: a retaining hook 110 fixed to the jewellery piece, the retaining hook being movable between an open configuration in which the hook enables introduction of an accessory to the coupling mechanism and removal of an accessory from the coupling mechanism, and a closed configuration in which the hook couples the accessory to the jewellery piece. The hook may be a curved metal wire, and is biased to the closed position. Also claimed are an interchangeable jewellery system, and a jewellery spacer for portioning a bracelet into a plurality of sections.

Description

I

Jewellery system

Field of the invention

This invention relates to a jewellery system which provides different options for the way in which a particular jewellery piece is worn. The present invention enables multiple jewellery pieces to be adapted and accessorised as part of an interchangeable system.

Background to the invention

The current market for Charm Jewellery' is mainly centred on silver and imitation stones, mass-produced in the Far East, although companies such as Pandora, and Links do offer a l4ct gold range, adorned with a few small diamonds. Each piece is a fashion' piece as to enable their product to work well; it relies on a heavy, chunky design. These can be bulky and result in pieces of considerable weight.

For example, Thomas Sabo has a very bulky range of fashion jewellery crafted from silver and imitation stones on the market. It includes a pendant ring which has a circular jump ring to the bottom of it which allows a limited number of bulky charms to be attached and removed using a lobster catch. A disadvantage of this system is that the size of the lobster catch limits the number of charms that can be added at any one time. Furthermore, the charms can be added or taken from the pendant, but when not on the pendant they cannot be used on any other item of jewellery. The main downside of this system is that all the attaching mechanisms are very visible, bulky and unattractive. The highly visible attaching mechanism is visually distracting to the jewellery and makes it apparent that the charm is a temporary addition and gives the impression of a cheap product.

Pandora has a jewellery range in which cylindrical charms are threaded onto a bracelet with individual spacers permanently fixed in place on the bracelet. The spacers cannot be moved around. Each charm can be screwed over the spacers to create separate sections on the bracelet.

However, a disadvantage of this system is that it doesn't allow flexibility to expand or reduce the size of each section'. As a result, a relatively empty bracelet has charms moving about or one section looks fuller than another until the bracelet is full. There is no scope for a user to adapt the length of each section or to control how many sections there are in the bracelet.

This system has been tweaked by other brands going after the same market, such as Camilla and Troll to create bracelets with similar concepts. These systems allow users to continue adding charms, even taking away charms and changing them for a different colour, but what happens to the charms that aren't being worn on the bracelet? They can't be utilised for anything else and sit in a jewellery box. When the bracelet is full, the look is complete and becomes one-dimensional.

Links of London offers a couple of Charm Bracelet ideas. Number 1: The Sweetie Bracelet, which has been designed to incorporate a number of split ioops' as part of the design of the bracelet.

The bracelet has a series of threaded beads in the shape of a flattened ring (or flattened doughnut).

A few of these are split like a key ring to allow charms to be threaded onto the bracelet in the same way you would attach a key to a key ring. This system allows a very limited number of charms to be added to the bracelet (you usually buy a bracelet with 5 of the split rings in place) and as per the first example, once you have worn the charm on the bracelet, it can't be incorporated into any other piece of jewellery to create an alternative look. Number 2: Their second option for a charm bracelet is the traditional way of permanently soldering a charm onto a link of a bracelet. This option is of course extremely limited and is nothing out of the ordinary.

At present, there is no one system that allows a charm to be interchangeably worn on different types of jewellery such as a pendant, a bracelet or an earring. Products currently in the market place have a lack of functionality and flexibility in how they can be worn.

An object of the invention is to address one or more of the deficiencies associated with the prior art.

Statements of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a jewellery piece including a coupling mechanism for securing an accessory to the jewellery piece, the coupling mechanism comprising: a retaining hook fixed to the jewellery piece, the retaining hook being movable between an open configuration in which the hook enables introduction of an accessory to the coupling mechanism and removal of an accessory from the coupling mechanism, and a closed configuration in which the hook couples the accessory to the jewellery piece.

The jewellery system according to the present invention expands upon the add on' charm phenomenon with the advantage of full interchangeability of various drop charms. Prior art systems are currently only able to offer a user the ability to add and take away a number of charms to a bracelet, whereas embodiments of the present invention offer an advantage of being able to wear each charm in a number of different ways i.e. as a Pendant Charm, a Bracelet Charm or an Earring Charm. The present invention extends to a method of reconfiguring a set of jewellery.

Conveniently the hook may be biased to the closed configuration. The hook may be a unitary construction and wherein movement between the open and closed configurations may be effected by the elasticity of the hook. Access to the hook may be facilitated by a guiding formation of the hook.

The guiding formation may conveniently be at the end of the hook and lead into an access portion of the hook.

Preferably, the hook may comprise a curved metal wire.

Conveniently, the retaining hook may comprise gold. Preferably, the retaining hook may comprise at least l8ct gold. Alternatively, the retaining hook may comprise silver.

The present invention extends to a combination of a jewellery piece according to the first aspect of the present invention and an accessory, the accessory comprising a coupling ring, wherein the hook of the jewellery piece may be adapted to retain the coupling ring of the accessory, thereby coupling the accessory to the jewellery piece.

The present invention extends to a jewellery piece according to the first aspect of the present invention and a plurality of accessories, each accessory comprising a coupling ring, wherein the hook of the jewellery piece may be adapted to retain the coupling rings of each accessory, thereby coupling the accessories to the jewellery piece.

In the closed configuration the hook may have an opening smaller than the diameter of the or each coupling ring, such that the or each coupling ring cannot be removed through the opening and is thereby retained.

The coupling mechanism of the jewellery piece or a combination may further comprise a second retaining hook.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a jewellery spacer for securely partitioning a bracelet into a plurality of sections, the spacer comprising: first and second portions attached to each other via a coupling portion, the first and second portions each including a bracelet grasping portion and being movable about the coupling portion between an open configuration in which the bracelet grasping portions of the first and second portions are spaced apart and a grasping configuration in which the bracelet grasping portions of the first and second portions are brought together.

The coupling portion may be a hinge. The jewellery spacer may comprise a releasably locking portion for releasably locking in the grasping configuration. The releasably locking portion may comprise a snap fit formation.

The bracelet grasping portions may be covered by a protective inlay. Conveniently, the protective inlay may comprise rubber and preferably may comprise crack-resistant rubber or vulcanised rubber.

The present invention extends to a combination of a jewellery spacer according to the second aspect of the present invention and a bracelet.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided an interchangeable jewellery system comprising: a first jewellery piece including a coupling mechanism according to the first aspect of the present invention, a second jewellery piece, an accessory, wherein the accessory comprises an attachment means configured to be engageable with the coupling mechanism of the first jewellery piece and to be engageable with the second jewellery piece.

The attachment means of the accessory may comprise a coupling ring. The system may further comprise additional accessories, wherein the coupling mechanism of the first jewellery piece may be adapted to accommodate the plurality of jewellery accessories.

The first jewellery piece may comprise a pendant. The second jewellery piece may be a bracelet.

The or each accessory may be attachable to the bracelet by threading the coupling ring of the accessory onto the bracelet.

The bracelet may have a jewellery spacer according to the second aspect of the present invention.

The second jewellery piece may be an earring. Conveniently, the earring may be a stud earring having an earring post and the or each accessory may be attachable to the earring by threading the coupling ring of the accessory onto the earring post.

The earring may be an unclosed loop earring and the or each accessory may be attachable to the earring by threading the coupling ring of the accessory onto the unclosed loop of the earring.

The or each accessory may comprise a drop charm.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figures lAto ID show a pendant incorporating a retaining hook in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figures 2A to 2B show accessories having a coupling ring in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 shows a jewellery spacer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a photograph of a pendant with attached accessories in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a photograph showing various jewellery pieces in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 shows the reverse of a pendant having retaining hooks in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 shows a stud earring attached to an accessory in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 shows a bracelet with jewellery spacers in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Pendant Locking Wire Figures 1A, IB, IC and ID show a pendant 150 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The pendant shown has a coupling mechanism 100 comprising a retaining hook 110 having an access portion 130 and a guiding formation 120 leading into the access portion 130.

Accessories which may be embodied by drop charms 164 each having a coupling ring 162 are shown in Figures 2A and 2B.

Examples of a locking wire 110 and associated accessories according to embodiments of the present invention are described below in relation to Figures IA-D, 2A-B, 4, 5 and 6.

Figure 1 B shows a retaining hook 110 according to embodiments of the present invention formed from two l8ct gold wires. These wires 110 provide a locking mechanism to thread on the drop charms 164. A length of gold wire is heated to enable it to be bent into an ear' shape. So when the wire 110 is soldered to the bottom (just a fraction off centre) of each pendant, one wire veers upwards to the left edge and one upwards to the right edge of the pendant 150, almost meeting centrally at the bottom, thus creating a V type arrangement. Due to the angled and curved shape or elongated 5' effect of the wire 110, it allows security for each drop charm 164 once added. The way the wire 110 is positioned on the pendant 150 and because of its shape, it allows the drop charm 164 to be pulled passed the part of the wire that directly touches the rear of the pendant 150.

As 1 8ct gold has an element of pliability, this creates a spring type effect. The hook 110 may therefore be pulled upwards (open configuration -see Figure ID) at the top end of the wire 110, creating a space between the wire 110 and the pendant 150 for easy attachment of the drop charm 164 and pushed back down into place (closed configuration -see Figure I B) to ensure the charm 164 is securely positioned.

The shape of the locking wire 110 helps to retain the charm 164 securely. As the locking wire 110 is not straight, it helps prevent the charm 164 from sliding off.

The locking wires 110 may be securely soldered into place. In a typical jewellery system, the number of charms 164 that can be added will be around 3 or 4 per wire 110. However, more or fewer charms may be added depending on the exact configuration of the jewellery system.

The charms 164 then fall centrally underneath the pendant 150, in a variety of lengths and designs.

Some are single drops per attachment ring, some have a number of drops on one attachment ring, creating a tasselled look.

Universal Attachment for the charms Examples of an accessory according to the present invention are described below in relation to Figures 2A, 2B, 5, 7 and 8.

Referring to Figure 2, each charm 164, either single or multi drop, hangs from a 3mm circular jump ring 162 which enables: easy attachment of the ring 162 to the locking wire mechanism 110 on the reverse of each pendant 150; threading onto a bracelet 250; threading onto a hoop earring or half hoop earring 280; attachment to a stud earring 270 by threading onto its posts 272. The Universal Attachment provided by the ring 162 enables accessories to be interchanged between different jewellery items of the system. The simplicity of this attachment enables the system to be kept elegant, discrete and aesthetically pleasing.

As shown for example in Figures, l8ct gold chain is soldered to the jump ring, with various precious, semi precious stones and pearls set in various different ways (pave, bezel, claw) within the design of each charm 164.

This drop charm 164 can then be attached to a simple stud earring 270 to create a temporary drop earring' effect or can be easily attached to a Pendant 150 to begin to build different looks for different occasions.

Bracelet components Aspects of the invention are embodied by the jewellery spacer 200 shown in Figures 3A to 3E and by the bracelet 250 shown in Figure 8. Jewellery spacer 200 comprises a first portion 210 having a bracelet grasping portion which may be provided by a rubber inlay 212, a second portion 220 having a bracelet grasping portion which may be provided by a rubber inlay 222, a coupling portion 230 and a releasably locking portion 240 which may be provided by a snap fit formation.

The fastening component of the bracelet is designed around a small gold ball. One end of the open bracelet has a tongue fastening which fits and snaps into the ball to open and close the bracelet to wear, while the other end of the bracelet has a small screw fitting which is small enough for the drop charms 164 to be threaded over and onto the bracelet. This end of the bracelet is only opened (unscrewed) to add or remove drop charms from the bracelet and is firmly and securely screwed into the ball fastener.

Each section of the bracelet may be divided by individual, removable, snap spacers 200. This allows a wearer the choice of a) how many sections are required and b) how much space is required within each section. When a bracelet is relatively empty, the wearer may choose, for example, to snap on only two spacers 200, thus allowing a smaller space for the charms 164 to be placed, avoiding too much room for manoeuvre between each bracelet charm and drop charm 164.

As the wearer collects further additions to the bracelet, additional spacers 200 may be added at random.

The snap spacers 200 are designed to sit firmly in place on the bracelet 250 by the use of a rubber inlay 212, 222 inside each spacer. This allows a snug fit against the l8ct gold bracelet, and does not cause any wear through rubbing of the two surfaces. The spacer 200 does not move around and creates separate sections with the option of removing them altogether or adding as many as are required.

As stated, an advantage of the Interchangeable Jewellery System is the flexibility and variation allowed within a simple jewellery collection enabling the Drop Charms 164 to be added to Pendants 150, Earrings 270, 280 and Bracelets 250, creating a multi-dimensional look and many alternatives to buying fixed pieces.

The spacer with its vulcanised rubber inner 212, 222 for the bracelet creates a multi-dimensional take on the charm bracelet and offers complete security against wear between the bracelet and the fixtures due to the crack resistant properties of the rubber coating.

The system according to embodiments of the present invention provides a way of attaching various jewellery pieces together in an elegant and aesthetic way. Prior art systems for attaching pendant charms to pendants use large, robust, lobster claws to hook' on the charms to a pendant, or thread cylindrical charms onto a necklace or bracelet. By contrast, embodiments of the present invention enable charms to be added discretely so that the means of attachment is hidden from view when the pendant is worn. As a result, the charms look like a part of the overall design rather than looking like a temporary addition.

Further variations and modifications not explicitly described above may also be contemplated without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, although an 1 8ct gold wire has been described for the retaining hook, other metals or non-metals may be used provided that they are sufficiently flexible to be movable into an open configuration but biased into a closed configuration.

Claims

Claims 1. Ajewellery piece including a coupling mechanism for securing an accessory to the jewellery piece, the coupling mechanism comprising: a retaining hook fixed to the jewellery piece, the retaining hook being movable between an open configuration in which the hook enables introduction of an accessory to the coupling mechanism and removal of an accessory from the coupling mechanism, and a closed configuration in which the hook couples the accessory to the jewellery piece.
2. A jewellery piece according to Claim 1, wherein the hook is biased to the closed configu ration.
3. Ajewellery piece according to Claims I or 2, wherein the hook is a unitary construction and wherein movement between the open and closed configurations is effected by the elasticity of the hook.
4. Ajewellery piece according to any preceding claim, wherein access to the hook is facilitated by a guiding formation of the hook.
5. Ajewellery piece according to Claim 4, wherein the guiding formation is at the end of the hook and leads into an access portion of the hook.
6. Ajewellery piece according any preceding claim, wherein the hook comprises a curved metal wire.
7. Ajewellery piece according to Claim 6, wherein the retaining hook comprises gold.
8. Ajewellery piece according to Claim 7, wherein the retaining hook comprises at least i8ct gold.
9. Ajewellery piece according to Claim 6, wherein the retaining hook comprises silver.
10. A combination of ajewellery piece according to any of Claims ito 9 and an accessory, the accessory comprising a coupling ring, wherein the hook of the jewellery piece is adapted to retain the coupling ring of the accessory, thereby coupling the accessory to the jewellery piece.
Ii. A combination of a jewellery piece according to any of Claims I to 9 and a plurality of accessories, each accessory comprising a coupling ring, wherein the hook of the jewellery piece is adapted to retain the coupling rings of each accessory, thereby coupling the accessories to the jewellery piece.
12. A combination according to Claims 10 or 11, wherein in the closed configuration the hook has an opening smaller than the diameter of the or each coupling ring, such that the or each coupling ring cannot be removed through the opening and is thereby retained.
13. Ajewellery piece or combination according to any preceding claim, wherein the coupling mechanism of the jewellery piece further comprises a second retaining hook.
14. Ajewellery spacer for securely partitioning a bracelet into a plurality of sections, the spacer comprising: first and second portions attached to each other via a coupling portion, the first and second portions each including a bracelet grasping portion and being movable about the coupling portion between an open configuration in which the bracelet grasping portions of the first and second portions are spaced apart and a grasping configuration in which the bracelet grasping portions of the first and second portions are brought together.
15. Ajewellery spacer according to Claim 14, wherein the coupling portion is a hinge.
16. Ajewellery spacer according to Claim 14 or 15, comprising a releasably locking portion for releasably locking in the grasping configuration
17. Ajewellery spacer according to Claim 16, wherein the releasably locking portion comprises a snap fit formation.
18. Ajewellery spacer according to any one of Claims 14 to 17, the bracelet grasping portions are covered by a protective inlay.
19. Ajewellery spacer according to Claim 18, wherein the protective inlay comprises rubber.
20. Ajewellery spacer according to Claim 19, wherein the protective inlay comprises crack-resistant rubber.
21. A jewellery spacer according to Claim 19, wherein the protective inlay comprises vulcanised rubber.
22. A combination of a jewellery spacer according to any one of Claims 14 to 21 and a bracelet.
23. An interchangeable jewellery system comprising: a first jewellery piece including a coupling mechanism according to any one of Claims Ito 9 or 13, a second jewellery piece, an accessory, wherein the accessory comprises an attachment means configured to be engageable with the coupling mechanism of the first jewellery piece and to be engageable with the second jewellery piece.
24. An interchangeable jewellery system according to Claim 23, wherein the attachment means of the accessory comprises a coupling ring.
25. An interchangeable jewellery system according to Claim 23 or 24, the system further comprising additional accessories, wherein the coupling mechanism of the first jewellery piece is adapted to accommodate the plurality of jewellery accessories.
26. An interchangeable jewellery system according to Claim 23, 24 or 25, wherein the first jewellery piece comprises a pendant.
27. An interchangeable jewellery system according to any one of Claims 23 to 26, wherein the second jewellery piece is a bracelet.
28. An interchangeable jewellery system according to Claim 27, wherein the or each accessory is attachable to the bracelet by threading the coupling ring of the accessory onto the bracelet.
29. An interchangeable jewellery system according to Claim 27 or 28, wherein the bracelet has a jewellery spacer according to any one of Claims 14 to 20.
30. An interchangeable jewellery system according to any one of Claims 23 to 26, wherein the second jewellery piece is an earring.
31. An interchangeable jewellery system according to Claim 30, wherein the earring is a stud earring having an earring post and the or each accessory is attachable to the earring by threading the coupling ring of the accessory onto the earring post.
32. An interchangeable jewellery system according to Claim 30, wherein the earring is an unclosed loop earring and the or each accessory is attachable to the earring by threading the coupling ring of the accessory onto the unclosed loop of the earring.
33. An interchangeable jewellery system according to any one of Claims 23 to 32, wherein the or each accessory comprises a drop charm.