GB2572067A - Stud earring - Google Patents

Abstract

A stud earring 10 comprising a stud 12 mounted to a rigid post 14. The pin 14 has a linear portion 16 adapted to pass through a piercing 18 in a user's ear lobe 20. The earring 10 has a backing 22 adapted to fit to the bar 14 and secure it to the ear lobe 20 in use. The post 14 has a bend 24 between the straight portion 16 and an end portion 26 of the shaft 14. This enables a free end 32 of the post 14 to be angled relative to the user’s neck, preventing the end 32 from being pushed into the neck by pressure on the decoration 12. Optionally, the backing 22 may be a disc with a hole 30 at its centre to accommodate the pin 14. The backing 22 may be made of a flexible and resilient material such as silicone.

Description

STUD EARRING

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a stud earring.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

A traditional earring is a continuous loop (or ring) of metal which passes through a hole which has been pierced through a user’s ear lobe. Because the loop is continuous it is typically intended that the earring is permanent, i.e. it is not usually intended that the user will subsequently remove and re-insert the earring (although it is known for some users to do that).

A stud earring dispenses with the loop of metal and instead uses a rigid post. Nevertheless, the term “ring” is still used in the name of such articles. A stud or other jewellery item is mounted at one end of the post and the post passes through the piercing in the earlobe.

Stud earrings are typically worn by those users who do not wish to wear an earring permanently, i.e. they can insert and remove the stud earring as and when desired. Stud earrings have the additional benefit that a user may have many different designs of stud earrings and can choose which design to wear for a particular occasion.

Many different designs of stud earrings are available, in a range of sizes. For ease of understanding, a “stud earring” is defined herein as an earring which includes a rigid post which can be removably passed through a piercing in a user’s ear lobe. A stud is mounted to the post, and can take any desired form, for example a precious stone, article of jewellery or the like. The post is secured to the ear lobe by a backing, for example a butterfly clasp.

It is a feature of stud earrings that the means of support is not visible from the front of the user’s ear, so that the stud appears to be “floating” on the ear lobe. Stud earrings are therefore distinguished from the traditional earrings as referred to above, and also from hook earrings which have a visible wire at the front of the ear from which a dropper is suspended.

Notwithstanding the major benefit of stud earrings being removable and therefore interchangeable with a different design, many users would nevertheless wish to wear a stud earring for an extended period of time, for example for several days. It is not always comfortable to do so, however, and in particular it is typically uncomfortable to sleep with stud earrings in place. If the user lies upon his or her side, the free end of the post will likely be pressed into the user’s neck. The free end of the post is relatively sharp and this can be very uncomfortable for the user. It is therefore unusual for a user to seek to sleep whilst earing stud earrings, and instead the stud earrings will typically be removed before sleep, and then reinserted the following day.

It is, however, typically necessary for a user to wear stud earrings for an extended period of time after the ear lobe has been pierced, i.e. users are advised to wear the stud earrings continuously until the ear lobe has healed, which might take several weeks. If the user takes the advice she must suffer the discomfort of wearing the stud earrings at night, with the likelihood that the end of the post will be pressed into her neck. If the user does not take the advice and instead removes the stud earring before sleep, she must suffer the discomfort of removing and reinserting the post through her ear lobe before the ear lobe has healed. That removal and reinsertion increases the likelihood of infection and increases the time taken for the ear lobe to heal.

Also, even after the ear lobe has healed, there is a likelihood that a stud earring will be dropped and lost, or otherwise damaged, each time it is removed. Also, the user may experience discomfort each time the post is inserted through the piercing in the ear lobe.

The user may also experience discomfort whilst wearing stud earrings and using a telephone for example, the free end of the post often being pressed into the user’s neck as the user presses the telephone against the ear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to avoid or reduce the above disadvantages of the present stud earrings. It is a particular object to improve the comfort of stud earrings sufficiently that they can be worn whilst sleeping, enabling the user to wear a stud earring for several days if desired. This is expected to be particularly beneficial during the period whilst the ear lobe heals after piercing.

According to the invention there is provided a stud earring comprising a stud mounted to a rigid post, the post having a linear portion adapted to pass through a piercing in a user’s ear lobe, the stud earring having a backing adapted to fit to the post and to secure the post in a position of use, the post having a bend between the linear portion and an end portion.

In common with the known stud earrings it is not necessary for the linear portion to be precisely straight and it is sufficient for the linear portion to be substantially straight.

Providing a bend in the post enables the free end of the post (opposed to the stud) to be angled relative to the user’s neck, so that pressure upon the stud (as during sleep or whilst using the telephone) does not act to press the free end of the post into the user’s neck.

Preferably the bend between the linear portion and the end portion is approximately 90°. Accordingly, pressure upon the stud (as during sleep) causes a part of the bend, and a side of the end-part, to be pressed against the user’s neck. The region of the post which is pressed against the user’s neck has a relatively large area, so that the pressure and therefore discomfort caused to the user is significantly reduced.

The backing is preferably a body with a hole to accommodate the post, the body surrounding the hole so as to contact the earlobe around the piercing and increase the area of support for the earring. Providing contact and support around the piercing, and in particular relatively large-area support, is desirable, especially with heavier stud earrings, as this reduces the likelihood that the ear lobe will be distorted by the stud earring.

The backing may comprise or include a disc, preferably a generally circular disc, with the hole at its approximate centre. The body is preferably flexible and resilient, ideally of silicone. A flexible and resilient body can be fitted over the free end of the post and passed around the bend to lie against the back of the user’s ear lobe. Silicone backings are known to be used to retain hook earrings and stud earrings and backings of the same material can also be used with the present invention. The known silicone backings have a body with a substantially central hole to accommodate the post. The hole is sized to be a tight sliding fit over the post so that the backing is retained in place by way of its frictional grip on the post. The frictional grip must be sufficient to retain the earring in position.

When fitted with the present invention, the backing lies between the bend and the user’s ear lobe and the end part overlies a part of the backing. The backing can therefore be retained by a combination of the frictional grip on the post and the mechanical retention of the overlying end part of the post. Because the friction grip alone is not required to retain the backing in position upon the post, the frictional grip may be reduced so that it is easier and more comfortable to pass the backing along the post.

Mechanical clasps (often called “butterfly clasps”) are also known to retain earrings. A suitably-formed butterfly clasp which can pass around the bend could be used with the present invention but is not preferred since a butterfly clasp is likely to be significantly less comfortable than a silicone disc (for example) if pressed against the user’s neck.

French patent application 2 881 032 discloses a stud earring with an articulating post, i.e. the post includes a hinged joint. The hinged joint lies between a linear part and an end part of the post. By virtue of the hinged joint the end part may be aligned with the linear part for insertion and removal of the post, and may be moved to a perpendicular orientation to retain the earring in position. This arrangement therefore avoids the requirement for a separate backing. However, the requirement for the post to be hinged increases the cross-sectional area of the post and therefore increases the discomfort to the user during insertion and removal of the post (and in many cases increases the discomfort during use). Also, the post provides only a small area and localised contact with the ear lobe which may not be enough to prevent distortion of the ear lobe when used with heavier stud earrings. In addition, the hinged joint includes sharp edges which are uncomfortable when pressed into the user’s neck, so that this document does not address (or resolve) the discomfort problem which the present inventor seeks to address.

With the present invention on the other hand, the bend is fixed or permanent and there is no articulation between the linear portion and the end portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 shows a sectional view of a stud earring according to the present invention in use; and

Fig.2 is a view in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The stud earring 10 according to the present invention comprises a stud 12 mounted to a post 14. In common with known stud earrings, the post 14 is preferably of circular cross-section throughout its length. The stud 12 in this example is represented as a substantially spherical component mounted directly to the post 14, but can be any suitable form, for example a rigidly mounted jewel.

The post 14 has a linear portion 16 which passes through a piercing 18 in a user’s ear lobe 20. In typical fashion, the piercing 18 is a relatively tight fit around the post 14 so that the post must be pressed through the ear lobe 20 during fitment and removal.

A backing 22 is fitted to the post 14 and secures the post in position relative to the ear lobe 20. Thus, whilst a gap is shown between the stud 12 and the ear lobe 20, and another gap is shown between the backing 22 and the ear lobe 20, that is solely for the purpose of clarity and in practice the ear lobe 20 will be clamped between the stud 12 and backing 22.

In a prior art earring the requirement for an effective frictional grip of the backing 22 upon the post 14 increases as the weight and size of the stud 12 increases. Larger and heavier studs will tend to cause the ear lobe to distort so that the linear portion 16 of the post 14 is no longer horizontal (or substantially horizontal) as drawn, and instead is angled downwardly. Larger and heavier studs furthermore increase the tendency of the post to slide through the backing and piercing and to fall from the ear lobe (or alternatively stated increase the tendency of the backing inadvertently to migrate along and off the post).

According to the present invention the post 14 has a bend 24 between the linear portion 16 and an end portion 26. In this embodiment the bend 24 is a 90° bend but it will be understood that a bend of precisely 90° is not required and angles several degrees more or less than 90° are within the scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that the end part 26 lies between the ear lobe and the user’s neck (not shown). With a prior art stud earring the post is linear throughout its length and the free end of the post is directed towards the user’s neck. A force pressing the ear lobe 20 towards the right as drawn can cause the free end of the prior art post to be pressed into the user’s neck. As explained above, such a force might occur when the user is seeking to sleep whilst wearing the stud earring, or when using the telephone, for example.

With the present invention on the other hand, the area of the post which might be pressed against the user’s neck is significantly increased. Furthermore, it is a curved part of the bend 24, and the curved side of the end part 26, which would be pressed against the user’s neck, and the (reduced) pressure applied is expected to cause little or no discomfort to the user.

Importantly, in the position of use the backing 22 lies between the bend 24 and the stud 12. This means that the backing 22 must be sufficiently flexible to pass around the bend 24 during fitment.

Whilst it is expected that the backing 22 will be retained in position upon the linear portion 16 of the post 14 largely by way of friction, it will be understood that the end part 26 provides an additional mechanical retention for the backing 22. Thus, if the stud 12 is particularly heavy it might force the ear lobe 20 to distort and furthermore might pull the linear portion 16 though the backing 22 and piercing 18 (towards the left as viewed in Fig. 1). The distance by which the stud 12 can move away from the ear lobe 20 is, however, limited by the bend 24, i.e. a relatively large and well-directed force is required to move the backing 22 around the bend 24, and such a force is not likely to be provided by the stud alone. The stud earring 10 is therefore particularly secure against inadvertent loss.

Fig.2 shows a side view of the backing 22 and end part 26 of the stud earring 10. This drawing is included to clarify that the backing 22 is of circular form in this embodiment. A circular form is not essential for the backing 22 but is preferred.

The backing 22 comprises a body with a central hole 30 to accommodate the post. The backing 22 is shown as a flat disc in the drawing but in practice may take many alternative forms and the particular shape is not important to the invention. What is important is that the body of the backing 22 surrounds the hole 30 so that in use the body contacts the ear lobe around the piercing 18. The body may for example have a circular periphery, although a patterned or otherwise non-circular periphery is also suitable. Surrounding contact around the piercing 18 avoids the requirement for the user to correctly orient the backing 22 in use, and can enable relatively large area contact between the backing 22 and the ear lobe 20, and thereby provide substantial support for the stud 12. Good support for the stud 12 is especially beneficial if the stud is large and heavy, and can help to maintain the correct orientation of the ear lobe 20 and therefore maximise the aesthetic appeal of the stud earring 10.

The hole 30 is slightly smaller than the post 14 in order to provide the desired frictional grip. For example, in one embodiment the post 14 has a diameter of 0.8 mm and the hole 30 has a diameter (when not in use) of 0.5 mm. The backing 22 is therefore fitted by pressing it onto the free end 32 and then sliding it along the end part 26 of the post 14, around the bend 24 and into engagement with the ear lobe 20. The inventor nevertheless appreciates that a backing in the form of a split disc could be utilised, with the backing being pressed onto the post in a radial direction. Such a backing could be fitted directly to the linear portion 16 and would not need to pass around the bend 24.

Also, the backing could take other forms than the flat disc shown in the drawing. For example, the backing could be tubular, perhaps having a lesser radial dimension than the backing 22 but a larger longitudinal dimension. Such a tubular backing could extend along the post 14 from the ear lobe 20 to surround at least a part of the bend 24 in its position of use, the bend increasing the resistance to movement of the backing along the post and thereby helping to secure the backing in position. Alternatively, the backing could comprise a disc-part with a central raised boss, the boss extending to (or perhaps partly around) the bend 24 in the position of use. The backing could also be a butterfly clasp adapted to be 5 able to pass around the bend 24.

In one embodiment of the invention the post 14 is 0.8 mm thick and is approximately 14 mm long in total. The linear portion 16 has a length Li of approximately 8 mm and the end part 26 has a length L₂ of approximately 6 mm.

io It is expected that the length Li will be in the range 7-9 mm for most stud earrings according to the invention, and the length L₂ will be in the range 6-7 mm. The bend 24 is ideally 90° with a radius of curvature R of approximately 1 mm.

Practical embodiments of the invention have a backing 22 comprising a circular 15 disc with a diameter of between approx. 5 mm and 9 mm, a thickness of between approx.. 1.5 mm and 3 mm, and a hole 30 approx. 0.5 mm in diameter. It is expected that such backings could be used with posts 14 having a diameter of approx. 0.6 mm to 1 mm, and ideally 0.8 to 0.9 mm.

Claims (12)

1. A stud earring comprising a stud mounted to a rigid post, the post having a linear portion adapted to pass through a piercing in a user’s ear lobe, the stud earring having a backing adapted to fit to the post and to secure the post in a position of use, the post having a bend between the linear portion and an end portion.

2. The stud earring according to claim 1 in which the backing is a body with a hole to accommodate the post.

3. The stud earring according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the backing is a disc with the hole at its approximate centre.

4. The stud earring according to claim 3 in which the disc has a circular outer periphery.

5. The stud earring according to any one of claims 1-4 in which the backing is flexible and resilient.

6. The stud earring according to claim 5 in which the backing is made of silicone.

7. The stud earring according to any one of claims 1-6 in which the bend between the linear portion and the end portion is approximately 90°.

8. The stud earring according to any one of claims 1-7 in which the end portion is also linear.

9. The stud earring according to any one of claims 1-8 in which the post is of circular cross-section and is between approximately 0.6 mm and approximately 1 mm in diameter throughout its length.

10. The stud earring according to any one of claims 1-9 in which the post is approximately 14 mm long.

11. The stud earring according to any one of claims 1-10 in which the linear

5 portion is between approximately 7 mm and approximately 9 mm in length.

12. The stud earring according to any one of claims 1-11 in which the end portion is between approximately 6 mm and approximately 7 mm in length.