Abstract:
A pendant containing a jewel mounted in an ornamental piece supports the jewel away from a wearers neck, thereby enabling the a jewel to sparkle fully as the ornamental piece with the jewel swings delicately in synchronization with the motions of the wearer.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese App. No. 2003-206571, filed Aug. 7, 2003, and which is incorporated herein by reference.  
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not Applicable.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The present invention relates to a pendant formed by a swingingly hung ornamental piece mounted with jewels such as diamonds and the like.  
         [0004]     Pendants vary in types and shapes. A pendant consisting of a necklace to be worn round the neck and an ornamental piece mounted with jewels such as diamonds and the like is generally formed having a necklace passed through a ring and the like which is linked to an ornamental piece hung therefrom or having a necklace brazed to both right and left side of an ornamental piece.  
         [0005]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , for example, a pendant  1  includes an ornamental piece  2  hung at the center of a necklace. A holder  4  formed of a metallic frame directly covers a girdle (not shown in the drawings) at a rim of a jewel  2   a  such as a diamond. The holder  4  is hung from a chain  5  of a necklace passed through a ring  3  formed on top of the holder  4 .  
         [0006]     However, a bottom portion of the ornamental piece  2  directly fits to the skin around lower part of the neck and the ornamental piece  2  itself hardly swings in synchronization with motions of a wearer while the pendant  1  is worn. Therefore, as light incident on the jewel  2   a  mounted in the ornamental piece  2  is defined in a certain direction, flashes emitted from the jewel  2   a  reflecting the light incident from various directions may not be exerted and brilliance of the jewel  2   a  can not be provided sufficiently. Accordingly, that the pendant becomes a less attractive product as an accessory.  
         [0007]     On the other hand,  FIG. 3  illustrates a pendant  10  in which a stable portion  15  is provided on a reverse side surface of a holder  13  having a chain-linking portion  12  on top, a protuberant hanging portion  17  with a hanging hole  18  formed at a tip thereof is formed in a generally central portion in a front surface of the holder  13 , and an ornamental piece  20  is swingingly hung from the hanging hole  18 .  
         [0008]     In the pendant  10 , the ornamental piece  20  hung from the holder  13  swings freely reserving a space at the back and allows the jewel  2   a  to reflect the light incident from various directions and to sparkle beautifully. However, that the holder  13  must be formed large enough to stabilize the pendant  10  and the hanging portion  17  must protrude by a large amount to reserve the space causes problems of providing poor usability and design as an accessory.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pendant that enables a jewel mounted in an ornamental piece to sparkle fully when the ornamental piece swings delicately in synchronization with the motions of a wearer. And it is another object to provide a pendant which excels in safety and prevents itself from being unsteady or turning over when the wearer moves. Further, it is still another object to provide a pendant which excels in usability and design as an accessory.  
         [0010]     A pendant of the invention provides a stable portion on a reverse side surface of a holder having a chain-linking portion for a linkage to accessories such as necklace and the like on top, a hanging portion protruding from a generally central top portion of the holder, and an ornamental piece swingingly hung from a hanging hole formed at a tip of the above-mentioned hanging portion. The tip of the hanging portion is formed in the most protrusive point in the holder when viewed from the side. The holder is formed in a shape selected from a group including a cylindrical shape, a donut shape and a board shape having a concave portion formed in a generally central portion. The ornamental portion is formed in a shape selected from a group including a generally oval shape, a generally heart shape, a generally tear-drop shape, a generally egg shape, and a polygonal shape. The ornamental piece comprises a jewel, a plurality of claw portions gripping a crown of the jewel, a locking cover for covering a pavilion of the jewel, and a ring fixed on a top portion of the above-mentioned locking cover, in which the jewel secured by the locking cover is swingingly hung from the holder by way of the ring engaged in the hanging hole of the holder. The ornamental piece comprises a jewel, a locking ring covering a girdle of the jewel, and a ring fixed on a top portion of the locking ring, in which the jewel secured by the locking cover is swingingly hung from the holder by way of the ring engaged in the hanging hole of the holder. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a front view showing a conventional pendant;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a side view showing the conventional pendant;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a side view showing a pendant with an ornamental piece swingingly hung therefrom;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a front view showing a first pendant of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a side view showing the first pendant of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view taken on line A-A of  FIG. 4  showing the first pendant of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  is an explanatory view showing the first pendant of the present invention in the state of swinging forward and backward;  
         [0018]      FIG. 8  is an explanatory view showing the first pendant of the present invention in the state of swinging right and left;  
         [0019]      FIG. 9  is a front view showing a second pendant of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 10  is the sectional view taken on line B-B of  FIG. 9  showing the second pendant of the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 11  is a front view showing a third pendant of the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 12  is a side view showing the third pendant of the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 13  is the sectional view taken on line C-C of  FIG. 11  showing the third pendant of the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 14  is a front view showing a fourth pendant of the present invention;  
         [0025]      FIG. 15  is a front view showing a fifth pendant of the present invention;  
         [0026]      FIG. 16  is a front view showing a third holder holding a first ornamental piece;  
         [0027]      FIG. 17  is a front new showing a fourth holder holding the first ornamental piece; and  
         [0028]      FIG. 18  is a front view showing a usage condition of the pendant of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0029]     Referring now to the drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described more particularly.  FIG. 4  is a front view of a first pendant with a first ornamental piece fixed to a first holder for showing a first embodiment of the present invention,  FIGS. 5 and 6  are a side view and a sectional view of the first pendant, and  FIGS. 7 and 8  are explanatory views for showing the first pendant of the present invention in the states of swinging forward and backward, and right and left, respectively.  
         [0030]     The first pendant  30  comprises a holder  31  which is formed of materials, for example, precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, metals such as brass or synthetic resin in a cylindrical shape, and a first ornamental piece  40  mounted with a jewel such as a diamond, an emerald, a ruby and the like. A chain for necklaces (not shown) is used as conventional pendants in order to hang the first pendant  30  in a front part of the neck.  
         [0031]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the holder  31  of the first pendant  30  is formed in a generally oval cylinder when viewed form the front and a hanging portion  37  is provided in a generally central, upper front part of the holder  31 . And an opening as a linking hole  33  is provided at a joint portion of the hanging portion  37 . The first pendant  30  can be hung from the neck by passing the chain for a necklace through the linking hole  33 .  
         [0032]     However, with respect to the first pendant  30 , means of linkage to the chain for a necklace has no specific limit. For example, both ends of the chain for a necklace cut in the middle can be brazed directly to right and left upper portions on a rim of the holder  31 , thereby providing the first pendant  30  with higher stability. Additionally, a size of the linking hole  33  has no specific limit so that not only a chain for necklaces with a small diameter but also a chain for necklaces with a large diameter, and a necklace of a string of pearls or precious stones can pass through and hang the first pendant  30  round the neck.  
         [0033]     In the event the first pendant  30  is viewed from the side, it becomes clear that the above-mentioned hanging portion  37  is protruded from a top portion of the holder  31  and a hanging hole  35  is formed at a tip of the hanging portion  37 . The holder  31  and the first ornamental piece  40  are linked by a ring  43  provided on the ornamental portion  40  for passing through the hanging hole  35 , as will be mentioned below. Besides, the tip of the hanging portion  37  is adjusted to reach the highest level in the first pendant  30 , and more specifically, a height from the tip of the hanging portion  37  to a stable portion  32  of the holder  31  is arranged at least larger than the depth of the jewel  40   a  mounted on the first ornamental piece  40  so that the first ornamental piece  40  hung from the holder  31  can swing back and forth freely (refer to  FIG. 7 ). That is, a certain amount of space between an inner end of the jewel  40   a  and the neck of a wearer is reserved at all times, so that the deepest portion of the jewel  40   a  is prevented from directly touching the neck even though the first ornamental piece  40  swings back and forth when the pendant  30  is worn.  
         [0034]     A stable portion  32  is formed on a reverse surface of the holder  31 . The stable portion, which is a flat surface when viewed from the side, enables the holder  31  to make flat contact with the skin in order to stay stably on the lower part of the neck regardless of the wearer&#39;s motion. Further, in the first pendant  30 , the holder  31  is formed of material such as precious metal and the like and has a larger weight than the first ornamental piece  40  mounted with the jewel  40   a.  Accordingly, the first ornamental piece  40  can face forward and prevent the holder  31  from being warped or turned inside out even in the event the pendant is worn (refer to  FIG. 18 ).  
         [0035]     On the other hand, the holder  31  is preferably arranged to have a diameter at least larger than a diameter of the jewel  40   a  mounted on the ornamental piece  40 . But it is also acceptable to form a holder  31  unobtrusively in a similar size to the first ornamental piece or in a larger size to some degree for adding taste in design. The arrangement of the holder at the above-mentioned size prevents the jewel  40   a  in the first ornamental piece  40  when hung therefrom from hitting an inner circular surface of the holder  31 , though most of the jewels represented by the jewel  40   a  are generally conical in shape (having a narrower end) at their pavilions (bottom portion). Therefore, the first ornamental piece  40  swings freely toward right and left in the pendant  30  (refer to  FIG. 8 ).  
         [0036]     In the first ornamental piece  40 , the jewel  40   a  is grasped by a generally cup-like shaped locking cover  45  for covering all over the pavilion of the jewel  40   a  and a plurality of claw portions gripping a crown positioned at the top of the jewel  40   a,  and a ring  43  provided on an edge of the locking cover  45  is linked to a hanging hole  35  of the holder  31 , as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 .  
         [0037]      FIGS. 9 and 10  are a front view and a side view of the second pendant in which a second ornamental piece is provided in a second holder for showing a second embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0038]     The pendant  50  comprises a holder  31  which is formed of materials, for example, a precious metal such as gold, silver, platinum, metals such as brass in a donut shape and a second ornamental piece  60  mounted with a jewel  60   a  such as a diamond, an emerald, a ruby and the like. A chain for necklaces (not shown) is used as conventional pendants in order to dangle the second ornamental piece  60  in a front part of the neck.  
         [0039]     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the holder  51  of the second pendant  50  is formed in a generally donut-shaped thick-walled board body when viewed from the front and a hanging portion  57  shaped as a plate is provided in a generally central, upper front part of the holder  51 . An opening as a linking hole  53  is provided at a joint portion of the hanging portion  57 . The second pendant  50  can be hung round the neck by passing the chain for a necklace through the linking hole  53 .  
         [0040]     Incidentally, an aspect that the linking hole  53  of the second pendant  50  has no specific limits in shape and position is similar to the linking portion  33  of the first pendant  33 , thereby omitting descriptions here.  
         [0041]     In the event the second pendant  50  is viewed from the side, it becomes clear that the above-mentioned hanging portion  57  is protruded from a top portion of the holder  51  which has thickness of a certain degree. And a hanging hole  55  for passing a ring  63  of the second ornamental piece  60  through as will be mentioned below and for linking the holder  51  to the first ornamental piece  40  is provided at a tip of the hanging portion  57 . Besides, the tip of the hanging portion  57  is adjusted to reach the highest level in the first pendant  50 , and more specifically, a height from the tip of the hanging portion  57  to a stable portion  52  of the holder  51  is arranged at least larger than the depth of the jewel  60   a  mounted in the second ornamental piece  60  so that the second ornamental piece  60  hung from the holder  51  can swing back and forth freely in a same manner as the first pendant  30 . A certain amount of space between a inner end of the jewel  60   a  and the neck of a wearer is reserved at all times, so that the deepest portion of the jewel  60   a  mounted in the second ornamental piece  60  is kept away from touching directly to the neck even though the second ornamental piece  60  swings back and forth in the event that the pendant  50  is worn.  
         [0042]     Besides, an aspect that a stable portion  52  is formed flat on a reverse surface of the holder  51  in the second pendant  50  and enables the holder  51  to make flat contact with the skin is similar to the stable portion  32  of the first pendant  30 , thereby omitting the descriptions here.  
         [0043]     Further, an aspect that the holder  51  is preferably arranged to have a diameter at least larger than a diameter of the jewel  60   a  mounted in the second ornamental piece  60  is similar to the first pendant  30 , thereby omitting the descriptions here.  
         [0044]     Furthermore, a locking ring  65  covers a girdle at a rim of the jewel  60   a  for grasping the jewel  60   a.  And the second ornamental piece  60  hung from the second pendant  50  is linked to the locking hole  55  of the holder  51  by a ring  63  provided at a top portion of the locking ring  65 , as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 .  
         [0045]      FIGS. 11, 12  and  13  are a front view, a side view and a sectional view respectively of the third pendant in which the first ornamental piece is provided in a third holder for showing a third embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0046]     The third pendant  70  comprises a holder  71  which is formed of materials, for example, a precious metal such as gold, silver, platinum, metals such as bass and the like in a board shape and provides a concave portion  76  at generally central portion thereof, and a first ornamental piece  40 . And a chain for necklaces (not shown) is used for dangling the first ornamental piece  40  in a front part of the neck.  
         [0047]     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the holder  71  of the third pendant  70  consists of a thick-walled board body in a tea-drop shape when viewed from the front, a concave portion  76  positioned at a generally central portion inwardly, and a hanging portion  77  protruding and bending downward from an upper, front, generally central portion thereof. The third pendant  70  can be hung from the neck by passing the chain for a necklace through the linking hole  73   
         [0048]     Incidentally, an aspect that the linking hole  73  of the third pendant  70  has no specific limits in shape and position is similar to the linking portion  33  of the first pendant  33 , thereby omitting descriptions here.  
         [0049]     In the event the third pendant  70  is viewed from the side, it becomes clear that the above-mentioned hanging portion  77  is protruded from a top portion of the holder  71  which has thickness of a certain degree. And a hanging hole  75  for passing a ring  43  of the first ornamental piece  40  through as will be mentioned below and for linking the holder  71  to the first ornamental piece  40  is provided at a tip of the hanging portion  77 . Besides, the tip of the hanging portion  77  is adjusted to reach the highest level in the third pendant  70 , and more specifically, a height from the tip of the hanging portion  77  to a bottom surface  76   a  in the concave portion  76  of the holder  71  is at least arranged larger than the depth of the jewel  40   a  mounted in the second ornamental piece  60  so that the first ornamental piece  40  hung from the holder  71  can swing back and forth freely in the third pendant  70 . A certain amount of space between a inner end of the jewel  40   a  mounted in the first ornamental piece  40  and the neck of a wearer is reserved at all times, so that the deepest portion of the jewel  60   a  is kept away from touching directly to the neck even though the first ornamental piece  40  swings back and forth in the event that the pendant  50  is worn.  
         [0050]     An aspect that a stable portion  72  is formed flat on a reverse surface of the holder  71  in the third pendant  70  and enables the holder  71  to make flat contact with the skin is similar to the stable portion  32  of the first pendant  30 , thereby omitting the descriptions here. And in the third pendant  70 , a lower part of the holder  71  can be curved slightly forward in order to make the concave portion  76  unobtrusive in terms of design.  
         [0051]     Further, in the third pendant  70 , a width of the concave portion  76  in the holder  71  preferably arranged at least longer than a diameter of the jewel  40   a  mounted in the first ornamental piece  40  in order to prevent the pavilion of the jewel  40   a  from hitting the inner circular surface of the concave portion  76  in the holder  71  and to allow the first ornamental piece  40  to swing back and forth freely.  
         [0052]     Furthermore, the first ornamental piece  40  hung from the third pendant  70  is similar to the ornamental portion hung from the first pendant  30 , thereby omitting the descriptions.  
         [0053]      FIG. 14  is a front view of a fourth pendant for showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0054]     As shown in  FIG. 14 , the holder  91  of the fourth pendant  90  is formed to be generally heart shaped when viewed form the front and a hanging portion  97  is provided in a generally central, upper front part of the holder  91 . Additionally, an opening as a linking portion (not shown) for passing a chain for a necklace through is provided at a tip of the holder  91  in the same level as the hanging portion  97 .  
         [0055]     In the fourth ornamental piece  92  hung from the fourth pendant  90 , a jewel  92   a  cut into a heart shape is grasped between a locking cover (not shown) for covering the jewel  92   a  at a pavilion and a plurality of claw portions  95  for gripping the jewel  92   a  at a crown. And a ring  93  provided on an rim of the locking cover is linked to a hanging hole. The fourth ornamental piece  92  has basically a similar structure as the first ornamental piece  40 .  
         [0056]     The fourth pendant  90  is used in a similar manner as the pendants mentioned above, thereby omitting the descriptions here.  
         [0057]      FIG. 15  is a front view of a fifth pendant for showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0058]     As shown in  FIG. 15 , the holder  101  of the fifth pendant  100  is formed in a generally tear-drop shaped cylinder when viewed form the front and a hanging portion  107  is provided in a generally central, upper front part of the holder  101 . Additionally, an opening as a linking portion (not shown) for passing a chain for a necklace through is provided at a tip of the holder  101  on the same level as the hanging portion  107 .  
         [0059]     In the fifth ornamental piece  102  hung from the fifth pendant  100 , a jewel  102   a  cut into a teardrop shape is grasped between a locking cover (not shown) for covering the jewel  102   a  at a pavilion and a plurality of claw portions  105  for gripping the jewel  102  at a crown. And a ring  103  provided on an rim of the locking cover is linked to a hanging hole (not shown) of the holder  101 .  
         [0060]     The fifth pendant  100  is used in a similar manner as the pendants mentioned above, thereby omitting the descriptions here.  
         [0061]     While the invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, it is recognized that the present invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.  
         [0062]     For example, in the pendant of the present invention, not only the second ornamental piece or other ornamental pieces can be hung from the first holder of the first pendant but also the first ornamental piece or other ornamental piece can be hung from the second pendant. Varying combinations of both pendants and ornamental pieces are possible.  
         [0063]      FIG. 16  is a front view of a pendant  120  in which the first ornamental piece  40  is hung from the fourth holder  91 , and  FIG. 17  is a front view of a pendant  125  in which the first ornamental piece  40  is hung from the fifth holder  101 .  
         [0064]     Further, there is no specific limit in type of material or shape of the jewel mounted in the ornamental piece. For example, a faceted jewels other than a diamond, a ruby, a sapphire, an emerald, a semi precious stone, a cabochon-cut semi-precious stone such as an opal, or a round-shaped pearl, precious metal in a mirror ball shape and the like are acceptable.  
         [0065]     With the pendant relating to the present invention, a jewel mounted in a ornamental portion can sparkle sufficiently while swinging delicately in synchronization with motions of a wearer. And in the event of wearing the pendant, the holder formed of precious metal has a weight and makes a flat contact by a stable portion without being warped or turned inside out. Accordingly, the holder allows the ornamental piece of the pendant to face forward at all times. Further, varying combinations of several cylindrical holders and ornamental pieces in various shapes enables the pendant to provide the ornamental piece unobtrusively and to excel in design as an accessory.