Abstract:
A jewelry mounting system having a gem mount with a gem permanently secured to the mount. The gem mount is provided with clasps pivotably secured to the mount, and the clasps cooperate with pins on a jewelry setting to attach and detach different gems into the jewelry setting.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates, in general, to jewelry accessories, and, in particular, to jewelry accessories which allow different gems to be mounted in a single setting. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     In the prior art various types of jewelry devices have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,467 to Postel discloses a mounting head for an article of jewelry containing interchangeable ornaments. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,227 to Ricci discloses an interchangeable spherical gem setting and a corresponding ring provided with the setting. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,739,598 to Postel discloses a mounting head for an article of jewelry containing interchangeable ornaments and means for disengaging the ornaments. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,766 to Schunk et al discloses a finger ring with an interchangeable stone. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,195 to Applebaum et al discloses an ornamental jewelry system in which the gem can be slid in and out of a groove in a ring. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,317 to Hendricks discloses a gem changer having two pivotal shanks. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,608 to Berkowitz discloses a multi-use jewelry piece where multiple gems can be interchangeably used in one piece of jewelry as opposed to using the same gem in different pieces of jewelry. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,434 to Wertheimer et al discloses a removable jewelry setting with a pivoting cover that retains a gem. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,122 to Burgard discloses an interchangeable ornament jewelry display. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,537 to Takesian discloses a replaceable gem stone setting for a jewelry piece. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,490,886 to Steinhauer et al discloses an interchangeable ring which allows different gems to be used on the same ring. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,804 to Freedman et al discloses a secure display setting for a gemstone. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,779 to Dreger discloses a napkin ring with an interchangeable ornament which uses magnets to hold the ornament. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,315 to Hargrove discloses jewelry articles having magnetic elements and interchangeable settings. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,159 to Rose discloses an interchangeable jewelry system for holding different gems in a setting. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,907,753 to Lieberman discloses an interchangeable jewelry system for holding different gems in a setting. 
     German Patent No. DE 40 14 179 to Sauter discloses a setting for a gem. 
     Generally, a gem is fixed into a single piece of jewelry. The gem and the jewelry can only be used as a combined unit and only worn on one part of the body. While removable gems are known in the prior art, the means of attaching the gem to the setting has not been satisfactory. Many times the attaching means is difficult to engage and disengage especially in smaller sized jewelry such as women&#39;s rings. Another disadvantage is that the attaching means can be uncomfortable if it is adjacent the user&#39;s body, such as when used in a ring. Another disadvantage is the attaching means can be complicated and, therefore, costly. The present invention is designed to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art devices. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a jewelry mount with clasps pivoted to the mount and the clasps cooperate with prongs on a jewelry setting to secure different gems into the jewelry setting. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved jewelry accessory. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved jewelry accessory which allows different gems to be secured within a setting. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved jewelry accessory which is easy to operate and will not be uncomfortable to wear. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the jewelry mount of the present invention and a ring to which the mount is going to be secured. 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a partial side view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a partial side view of the bottom of the mount of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The preferred embodiment herein described is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is chosen and described to best explain the invention so that others, skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, might utilize its teachings. 
     Referring now to the drawings in greater detail,  FIG. 1  shows the system for retaining a gem within an article of jewelry of the present invention in which a ring or an article of jewelry  2  will secure a gem  5 . The ring or article of jewelry  2  has an inner surface  8  surrounding an aperture  4  that will receive the user&#39;s finger. Another aperture  3  is positioned to receive the removable portion or gem  5  of the present invention. It should be noted that even though the invention is described as being used with a ring it is not limited to just this use. The invention can be used with any type of jewelry such as, but not limited to, pins, pendants, ear ring, scarf clips, bracelets, men&#39;s tie tacks, stick pins, cuff links, etc. Also, the gem or stone  5  is shown as circular, however, other shapes could be used without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the bottom  11  of the gem mount has prongs  7  secured thereto in any conventional manner. The prongs  7  are conventional jewelry prongs that will secure a gem  5  to the top side of the mount. The prongs extend out sufficiently to engage the ring adjacent the aperture  3  to prevent the mount from passing completely through the aperture when it is assembled within the ring or other piece of jewelry. Since the prongs  7  are conventional no further description is necessary. The bottom  11  of the mount also has at least two clasps  6  secured thereto, which will be described in more detail below. 
       FIG. 3  shows an exploded view of the mount as it is about to be inserted into a ring  2  (only partially shown in  FIG. 3  for clarity). The ring has an aperture  3  that is about the same size as the gem  5  on the mount. This will allow the gem to be inserted into the aperture  3  and will, after it is positioned properly and secured, protrude from the aperture  3 . The mount has a pair of clasps  6  which are pivoted at  12  (see  FIG. 4 ) to the gem mount  1 . The pivot connection can be any conventional pivot and allows the clasps  6  to move from a straight up position, as shown by the dotted lines in  FIG. 3 , to a position where the catches are substantially parallel with the bottom  11  of the mount  1 . Since the clasps are movable they can be positioned to make it easier to maneuver the mount into the aperture  3  of the ring. 
     A plurality of pins  10  (one for each clasps  6 ) are secured to the inside surface  8  of the ring. Each of the pins has a shaft secured to the ring at one end and an enlarged head on the other end of the shaft. The clasps  6  has a pair of arms secured to a pivot  12 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The arms have an enlarged portion  9  at the end opposite the pivot. The dimension of the head is larger than the enlarged portion  9 . However, since the clasp is made from a slightly resilient material, the enlarged portion will be able to expand enough to snap over the head. Once the clasp passes over the head it will snap back beneath the head and secure the clasp  6  (and the gem mount  1  and the gem  5 ) to the pin  10 . In this manner the mount can be secured to the ring  2 . 
     If the user wants a different gem in the ring, she merely has to unsnap the clasps  6  from the pins  10  and remove the first gem. Then, a new mount with a different gem will be secured to the ring by attaching the clasps on the new mount with the pins  10  of the ring. Using the mounting system of the present invention it is not necessary to have a large number of rings, but rather one ring can be fitted with different gems and appear to be a number of different rings. Another use is to provide other articles of jewelry with the pins  10  and then a single gem can be transferred from a ring, for example, to a pendant or other piece of jewelry. In this manner a single gem can be used in a variety of jewelry. 
     Although the Jewelry Mount for Securing Interchangeable Ornaments and the method of using the same according to the present invention has been described in the foregoing specification with considerable details, it is to be understood that modifications may be made to the invention which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims and modified forms of the present invention done by others skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be considered infringements of this invention when those modified forms fall within the claimed scope of this invention.