Abstract:
A ring includes rotatably-mounted and removable ornamental elements. The base of the ring includes a pair of ears for supporting a spindle. The spindle, formed of threadedly cooperative elements is readily disassembled to permit selective removal and reorganization of the ornamental elements.

Description:
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/401,564 filed on 8/28/89, now abandoned, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 07/040,890 filed 4/20/87, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to jewelry. More particularly, this invention pertains to jewelry that includes rotatable elements. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Women&#39;s jewelry, incuding rings, while often a considerable expense to the buyer, rarely permits &#34;wearer participation&#34;. That is, the wearer generally cannot share in the creation of the item. Further, prior art jewelry is usually inert in the sense that ornamental designs rarely, if ever, incorporate mobile elements that might otherwise enhance both the wearer&#39;s appearance and enjoyment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes the foregoing and other problems of the prior art by providing a novel ring. Such ring includes a member that is adapted to receive a wearer&#39;s finger. An elongated spindle is provided. The aforementioned member includes means for supporting the spindle and at least one ornamental wheel is rotatably mounted to the spindle. 
     The preceding and other advantages and features of this invention will be more readily apparent from the detailed description that follows. This written description is accompanied by a set of drawing figures. Corresponding numerals of the description and the figures point to the features of the invention, like numerals identifying like features throughout. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded persepective view of a ring in accordance with this invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the ring of the preceding figure; 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of an alternative embodiment of a ring in accordance with the invention; and 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of a second alternative embodiment of a ring in accordance with the invention, such embodiment comprising a distinct arrangement of the elements of the prior illustrated embodiment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a woman&#39;s ring 10 in accordance with this invention. The ring 10 comprises an assemblage of elements, both ornamental and functional, that cooperate to provide the wearer with a number of &#34;looks&#34; each of which incorporates a novel &#34;rotation&#34; feature. 
     The ring 10, preferably of gold or other appropriate precious or jewelry-grade metal such as gold, platinum or titanium, includes a base element 12 adapted to receive the wearer&#39;s finger and for rotatably mounting at least one ornamental wheel thereto. The element 12 comprises a generally-circular finger-hold 13 that is appropriately-dimensioned for securing the ring to the wearer&#39;s finger. Structure is provided in association with the finger hold 13 for mouting a spindle. Such structure includes a pair of upwardly-projecting ears 14, 16 that are integral therewith. The ears 14, 16 include througholes 18 and 20 respectively for receiving the spindle. In an actual embodiment of the invention the ears 14 and 16 were separated by a distance of 16.7  millimeters, permitting the insertion of an arrangement of ornamental elements of such composite size therebetween. 
     The spindle of the ring 10 comprises an elongated sleeve 22 having internal threading and adapted to receive a screw 24. The aforementioned elements include head 26 and 28 respectively of enlarged diameter. The heads of the axle elements, in combination with the threaded engagement of the sleeve 22 to the screw 24, serve to secure the axle to the base 12. Gems 25 may be set into the tops of the heads 26 and 28. Thus, the arrangement of the otherwise-functional sleeve 22 and screw 24 additionaly enhances the appearance of the ring 10. 
     The spindle, when fixed to the base 12 at the througholes 18 and 20 of ears 14 and 16 respectively, rotatably supports a plurality of ornamental wheels 32, 34, 36 and 38. Each of such wheels includes a circular central aperture for rotation about the circumference of the sleeve 22. The ornamental wheels (the diameter of a wheel in accordance with an actual embodiment of the invention is 8 millimeters) may comprises any of a number of attractive designs, and a plurality of such wheels may be chosen and arranged to attain any of a number of desirable and stunning effects. 
     Individual wheels may have circular, square, trangular or other outer circumferences. Their thicknesses may vary and may include jeweled settings. 
     FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are front elevation views of various alternative embodiments of the ring of the invention. The embodiment of FIG. 2 comprises a barrel-like arrangement of the five collar-shaped, jeweled wheels 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 shown in the exploded perspective view of the prior figure. This is to be contrasted to the arrangements of FIGS. 3 and 4, each of which includes two wheels 40 and 42 of generally conical shape in combination with a central collar-like element 44. The collar-shaped wheels may include a plurality of straight baguette cut diamonds at its periphery while conical wheels can include a plurality of tapered baguette cut gems at its periphery. Other gem cuts may be employed including the so-called square, Prestige and Princess cuts. Thus, as is seen, the ring of the invention permits the wearer to achieve two entirely different appearances by simply unscrewing the spindle components 22 and 24, rearranging the jeweled ornamental wheels and then resecuring the spindle to the ears 14 and 16 of the base 12. Further, the ring 10 can be seen to be readily adapted to different appearances through the simple expedient of substituting variously-shaped wheels. Numerous ornamental wheel designs of compatible design (i.e. having an appropriately-sized central aperture) may, of course, be rotatble &#34;set&#34; within the ring 10. 
     Thus it is seen that the present invention provides a novel arrangement for a ring that permits the wearer to effectively design and redesign its ornamental appearance. Each design includes at least one element that is rotatable about a spindle, a feature that is not found in the prior art and which provides a unique experience for a wearer. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to a number of presently preferred embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of the invention is only limited insofar as defined by the following set of patent claims and includes all equivalents thereof.