JEWELLERY

Abstract: A gold sleeper earring (1) has an outer, tubular gold layer (2) and an inner, flexible, nylon former (3) supporting the gold layer. During manufacture the thin filament former (3) is fed into strip gold stock material as it is drawn into a die and the gold tube is fashioned on the former. The gold tube is coiled and cut to provide an earring sleeper, a hole (H) is made in the former (3) to receive end (4a) of earring pin (4). A free end (4b) of the pin (4) is received in a gap (G) at end (Y) of the sleeper (1).

Description: JEWELLERY This invention relates to an item of jewellery more particularly made of precious metal such as gold, silver or platinum. Hollow items of jewellery have been produced in precious metal, for example hollow sleeper earrings, in an effort to produce a quality item at a lower cost. A hollow sleeper earring may be made by coiling seamed tubing on a mandrel and cutting an appropriate arcuate length therefrom and attaching an earring pin thereto but there is a very real problem that flattening or damage to the tubing may occur during the coiling or further steps in the manufacture of the earring due to the thin walling of the tube. The tendency towards damage of the earring increases as the thickness of the tube walling decreases and as the speed of production increases. An additional problem may occur with such hollow items of jewellery once manufacture has been completed. It has been found that quite a high proportion of hollow sleeper earrings may be damaged due to the hollow structure providing an inherent weakness. This weakness becomes even more pronounced during closing and opening the earring, if the free end of the pin is not introduced into and out of its engagement with the sleeper in a correct manner. Owing to the relatively weak structure of the hollow sleeper earring it is believed that there is a tendency to pull the free end of the pin out of its engagement with the sleeper in an entirely incorrect manner whilst seeking a way to open the earring and disengage the pin. Similarly, once the pin has been incorrectly pulled out of engagement the tendency will be to incorrectly push the pin back into an engagement position with the sleeper to close the earring. The thinner the wall thickness of the sleeper earring the weaker the structure. Also, the hollow earrings are packaged in stacks for transportation and handling and the wall thickness of the sleepers may be so thin that damage can occur in the packing process and/or in transporation or handling. In particular, the combined weight of the upper sleepers in a stack tends to crush the lower ones in the stack resulting in damaged earrings, which can prove to be costly. Once again the damage done to the sleepers because of the inherent weakness in structure poses quite a serious problem since the number of earrings returned which have been damaged in handling or by the consumer ( ainly by incorrect opening and closing of the earring) are significant. It seems that the main damage done by the consumer is a kinking or breakage of the sleeper at a location diametrically opposite the pin (i.e. at the point of greatest stress during opening and closing the earring ) . It has been previously proposed to make items of jewellery, for example earrings, on a former which may be flexible or rigid. Precious metal is spirally wound onto the former with the turns of the chain being kept close together and secured to the former to prevent the chain from unwinding. The former and chain may then be bent into the required shape where the former is flexible. The chain can be secured onto the former ( for example by heating the item in an oven) so that the turns do not become undone during bending. It is believed that such a production method tends to have many disadvantages. Firstly, the manner in which the precious metal is applied onto the former is a skilled, exacting, time consuming process and additionally requires means to be taken to prevent the spirally wound precious metal from unwinding again or the coils from becoming misaligned. To prevent the metal from unwinding (or the coils from becoming misaligned) it has to be secured to the former at each end and a further heat treatment process is necessary. It is believed that a satisfactory item in which the precious metal layer remains undistorted in the finished item may not be provided by this process at least reliably and that the process is unnecessarily laborious. Additionally, the layer of precious metal would not allow the final item to be springy or to have the elasticity required for items of jewellery such as sleeper earrings or bangles which are attached to the user by opening and closing said item while flexing two integral halves of the item in opposite directions, in such manner that the item returns or tends to return to its original shape on release of the flexing force. Additional difficulties would be encountered using this production method where the layer of precious metal to be provided is very thin since the chain could break whilst attempting to wind it on the former. Again, high labour costs would be incurred in attempting to wind a chain of precious metal around a shaped mandrel. It is an object of the present invention to at least alleviate one of the aforementioned, or other, disadvantages involved with earring construction or other items of jewellery. According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making an item of jewellery, for example a hollow sleeper earring, comprising supporting a tubular layer of precious metal on a flexible former whilst said item is bent into shape, said tubular layer of precious metal having an axial seam and/or having been applied onto the former by a non- winding process as herein defined, said former supporting said tubular layer against localised deformation during said bending, and said method, preferably, comprising retaining the former within the item to support said layer of precious metal against localised deformation once said item is completed. Preferably, the cross section of the item is maintained during bending so that there is no significant cross-sectional reduction. Advantageously, the precious metal may be an integrally-formed, and/or uniform tubular layer and the flexible former is preferably springy. Hollow items of jewellery have been made by the Applicant, for example earrings, in which the method of manufacture involves introducing the precious material onto a flexible former for support, which former is later destroyed to provide a hollow structure. For example, hollow gold sleeper earrings can be made by rolling gold on a nylon former in a manner such that a seam in the gold material extends along the inner circumferential arc of the sleeper. A tubular layer of precious metal may be made in a similar manner to that disclosed in Patent Specification No. GB 2179237A of the Applicant. However, as the strip stock is drawn into a tube a thin nylon filament former can be fed simultaneously into the die set so that the tube is fashioned on the former. The tube and former can be coiled and cut to provide the earring sleeper and the nylon former is burnt out before the earring pin is attached to the sleeper. Then one end of the pin is soldered to one hollow end of the sleeper and a free end of the pin fits neatly into the opposite end of the sleeper to retain the earring on the ear; the free end of the pin can be disengaged from the sleeper by flexing the earring in order to remove the earring from the ear. Although such a construction may alleviate problems of deformation of the precious metal during manufacture it is believed that such an item of jewellery tends to be disadvantageous in some respects and the method of manufacture may also tend to involve certain disadvantages. The aforementioned manufacturing process involves the somewhat onerous or inconvenient step of burning out the nylon former which results in a dirty sleeper requiring a further finishing step before the earring is ready. Once again skilled labour is required for soldering the end of the pin to the sleeper. The pin could be attached to the sleeper by crimping of one end of the sleeper to the pin but with such hollow earrings there is a tendency for the pin to become loose, unless it is actually soldered to said end. Therefore, usually in accordance with the present invention the former will be retained and the method of manufacture modified to obviate destruction of the ormer. Therefore, according to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an item of jewellery, for example a sleeper earring or bangle, comprising an inner former or member supporting an outer layer of precious metal against localised deformation, said item being inherently resilient and the former or member being flexible, possibly in order for attachment and detachment to or from the person, said item preferably having two halves which are flexed in opposite directions to allow for such attachment or detachment, said former also acting to resist deformation of the precious metal during said flexing and during incorrect flexing which may occur during said attachment and detachment. The former or member is, preferably, of non-metal material. The former may be of nylon or of metalised wax or of any suitable material. Since the former is retained there is no need for any treatment to remove it which may involve heat or other possibly detrimental or inconvenient effects on the item of jewellery. Such heat treatment may cause annealing of the metal which may render the item generally unsuitable more particularly where the item has to be flexed or twisted. The thickness of the precious metal layer may be in the range .001" to .003". The item of jewellery may be a sleeper earring having an earring pin attached to one end of a sleeper by a non-heat treatment process of the metal of the sleeper, for example by adhesive. The earring pin may include a cap which is attached to said one end of the sleeper. Where the precious metal comprises a seamed tube the cap advantageously- acts in part to hold the edges of the seam together. A hole may be made in the former, for example by drilling or organic erosion to receive said pin. The end of the sleeper which receives the pin may be crimped thereto. The item of jewellery may be a hinged sleeper earring with the hinge being fashioned from adjacent ends of arcuate portions of the earring, preferably without heat treatment or soldering. According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an arcuate item of jewellery, for example a sleeper earring or bangle, having an inner former or member supporting an outer layer of precious metal, said former being such that it supports said layer of precious metal to strengthen said item, the arrangement being such that the former or member is capable of removal from said item during manufacture, for example by a heat process, to alternatively provide a hollow item of jewellery the layer of precious metal being tubular and having a seam along the inner arcuate boundary of said item, or said precious metal having been made tubular by a non-winding process as herein defined. Further according to the present invention there is provided in a method of making an item of jewellery, in which a layer of precious metal is introduced onto a flexible former or member by a non-winding process as herein defined which former or member is destroyed before the item of jewellery is finished, in order to provide a hollow item, the steps of omitting destruction of the former, in order to thereby strengthen the item, and modifying completion of the item to take account of the presence of the former. Said modifications may include for example, (a) capping the ends of the item where the item is a bangle, (b) modifying attachment of an earring pin to a sleeper earring without heat treatment of the metal. Further according to the present invention there is provided a method of making a hollow sleeper earring comprising:- (a) introducing precious meta] onto a former to provide a sleeper, (b) attaching a pin, preferably without heat treatment of the precious metal of the sleeper, to one free end of the sleeper whilst the former is retained within the precious metal, said former possibly being capable of removal from the precious metal, (c) providing retaining means on a second free end of the sleeper to receive a free end of said pin and releasingly retain said free end of the pin to the sleeper, (d) said former being retained within the earring on completion thereof. Further according to the present invention there is provided an item of jewellery comprising an inner former or member supporting an outer layer of precious metal and characterised by one or more of the following features:- (a) the arrangement is such that the former or member is capable of removal from said item during manufacture, for example by a heat process, to alternatively provide a hollow item, said outer layer of precious metal having been fashioned by a non-winding process as herein defined. (b) the item of jewellery is inherently resilient or springy and the former or member is able to flex, and for example said item is a bangle in which ends thereof are covered by caps of precious metal attached thereto, preferably by a non-heat treatment process of the metal, said item of jewellery possibly having two halves to enable attachment and detachment to or from the person, said halves being flexible in opposite directions to allow for said attachment and detachment, said item preferably having a seam, or at least said item being made by a non-winding process as herein defined, (c) the item of jewellery is a sleeper earring in which an earring pin is attached to one end of the sleeper, preferably without heat treatment of the precious metal of the sleeper, and in which means is provided on the other end of the sleeper to releasably retain a free end of the earring thereto, said retaining means preferably comprising a recess in said other end of the sleeper, (d) the item of jewellery is a hinged sleeper earring in which the hinge is fashioned from adjacent ends of arcuate portions of the earring, and preferably in which a clasp is fashioned from the other ends of said arcuate portions, possibly by swaging of at least one of said ends, (e) the item of jewellery is a stud earring in which the former is retained in the earring pin and a decorative portion is attached thereto by a non-heat treatment process of the precious metal, e.g. by adhesive. Most importantly, the present invention provides, when applied to a sleeper earring in which the former is retained, a markedly stronger item. The strengthened item may be a very significant improvement over a hollow sleeper earring with a greatly improved reistance to the damage against incorrect opening and closing. Additionally, and advantageously, the improved strength of the item in any case invokes a tendency for the user to open and close the earring correctly, because of the resistance encountered if it is attempted to open and close the earring incorrectly (i.e. by simple pulling and pushing of the earring pin) . Many other advantageous features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description. Two embodiments of a sleeper earring in accordance with the present invention and method of making same will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying simplified FIGURES of the drawings in which:- FIGURE 1 shows the first embodiment of a sleeper earring in axial cross section, and FIGURE 2 shows the second embodiment of a sleeper earring also in axial cross section, but with the earring in an unclasped position. FIGURE 3 illustrates two diagrammatic views depicting the correct and incorrect ways of opening and closing the sleeper earring, and FIGURE 4 shows on the same scale a perspective view of a modified earring pin for the sleeper earring. FIGURE 1 shows a gold sleeper earring 1 having an outer gold layer 2 and an inner nylon former 3 which is, preferably, solid, for strength and support of the gold layer 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the gold layer 2 has been rolled on the former 3 to provide the gold layer as a seamed part-circular tube or sleeper with the seam of the tube extending around the inner circumferential arc (or inner arcuate boundary) 2a thereof. During manufacture, as strip gold stock is drawn into the seamed tube (the seam extends axially along the tube) a thin nylon filament former is introduced into the die and the tube is fashioned on the former. The tube is coiled into the shape of the earring and cut in a similar manner to that described in Patent Specification No. GB 8707112 of the Applicant. In general, the tube is wound into a tight coil (not shown) and masking tape (not shown) is applied to hold the individual loops of the coil stable whilst a wide groove is sawn into the coil to provide a series of arcuate sleepers. Alternatively, the gold may be introduced onto the former by any suitable process (for example, by eleσtrodeposition) and the former itself may be of any suitable material, for example metalised wax. The earring 1 has a curved pin 4 (in an alternative embodiment the pin could be straight). One end 4a of the pin is attached to an associated end X of the part- circular tube 2 whilst the other end Y of the tube releasably retains free end 4b of the pin 4 thereto. The end 4a of the earring pin may be attached to end X by any appropriate means. I the illustrated embodiment a cylindrical hole H is fashioned in the former 3 (as will be evident from the figure) in any suitable way (for example by drilling, burning or organic erosion) and end 4a is glued into the hole by suitable adhesive. Part of the former 3 is taken away, once again in any suitable manner, to leave a gap G at end Y of the tube 2 to receive end 4b of the pin 4 as should be evident from FIGURE 1. The wall thickness T of the tube 2 is usually about .004" but could be in the range .003" to .008" (or even as thin as .002" or .001" due to the strengthening support which the former gives to the earring) . The earring pin 4 is a solid gold pin of thickness in the range .0015" to .05" but is usually .025" or .03". The size of hole H is varied to suit the thickness of the pin 4. In the earring shown in FIGURE 1 the former 3 is retained within the precious metal to give strength and support thereto during manufacture and, preferably, afterwards also, rather than being destroyed to leave a hollow item. If the former is burnt out such heat treatment of the earring tends to be disadvantageous because annealing of the metal, given the size and thickness of material, is not desirable. Additionally, such heat treatment necessarily involves soiling of the gold which then has to be cleaned and which again carries obvious disadvantages. The earring pin 4 would have to be attached to the tube 2 by a soldering process in order to provide a reliable attachment since there is a tendency for the pin to become detached if it is retained in the associated end of the sleeper solely by crimping the tube onto the end 4a. The soldering process is once again an undesirable heat treatment process and also involves a degree of skilled labour which may not be required in the arrangement as shown and described in relation to the FIGURE 1, in which no heat treatment is required for destroying the former or for consequential soldering. In the arrangement shown in FIGURE 1 the end 4a of the pin 4 can be attached to the end X of the sleeper by gluing or crimping but no soldering is necessary in order to obtain a reliable attachment. It is possible that the earring pin 1 may be attached to a cap (not shown) which fits over the end X and which cap is attached thereto by adhesive or the pin may even be attached to end X by means of a screw (not shown) . In order to create gap G at end Y it may be possible that a suitable lubricant could be provided on the outside of the former 3 which allows the former to be moved relative to the tube 2, so that, for example, the end of the former at end Y could be pushed in to create gap G with the projecting end of the former 3 at end X being cut off. The pin 4 could be a straight pin instead of curved. In order to disengage the end 4b of the pin from the sleeper the earring 1 should be flexed in a particular manner about the central line Z. One integral half of the earring 1 on one side of the line Z is flexed out the plane of paper whilst the other integral half of the earring is held still or flexed in the opposite direction (i.e. into the plane of paper), the bottom of the earring at B acting generally as a pivot location, which is the point of greatest stress. This correct manner of opening the earring is also illustrated diagrammatically in the drawing on the left in FIGURE 3. However, there has been a tendency with prior art hollow sleeper earrings for the user to disengage the pin in incorrect manner by pulling the pin 4 out of gap G, thus opening out the sleeper with each half of the earring 1 remaining in the same plane (see the drawing on the right in FIGURE 3 illustrating the incorrect manner of opening and closing the earring). Such incorrect opening represents a serious problem resulting in the type of distortion as shown in the drawing on the right in FIGURE 3. This type of damage or even breakage at this point can occur in time even where the user is relatively careful in opening or closing the earring in a generally correct manner, owing to the general weakness of the hollow structure. It has been found that, earrings made in accordance with embodiments of the present invention with the former retained therein, have a far greater facility for resisting damage caused by such incorrect disengagement (usually a kinking of the sleeper at the bottom thereof as shown in FIGURE 3) than hollow earrings of the prior art, due to the flexibility and/or additional strength and/or resilience of the former. Moreover, owing to the additional strength provided the natural tendency for opening/closing the earring in such incorrect fashion is in any case alleviated or obviated, due to the resistance encountered when such incorrect opening/closing is attempted. It should be emphasised that there is an entirely different and advantageous "feel" to the earring during opening and closing, in comparison to prior art hollow sleeper earrings. The former 3 provides additional strength generally to the earring 1 if the pin 4 is engaged and disengaged correctly or incorrectly and substantially prevents local deformation of the earring. The former also yields a greater degree of elasticity in the earring so that even where the flexing force is relatively high when opening the earring and the two "halves" of the earring are displaced a considerable amount out of the plane of the earring, the two halves spring back quickly to their position prior to application of the flexing force i.e. to lie within the same plane, in a manner not generally provided where the former is omitted. Omission of the former can cause the earring to feel much weaker and possibly emit an audible cracking sound if flexed to a substantial degree, which effect does not occur when the former is retained. Since the former 3 is, preferably, retained, it is possible that thinner precious metal can be used (the earring could be fashioned from any suitable precious metal) and the former may prevent other undesirable effects which may otherwise be caused by a material thickness which is uneven. The provision of a seam in the tube 2 extending around the inner circumferential arc 2a thereof is extremely important in the sleeper earring as herein described in relation to FIGURE 1, where integral halves of the earring are flexed in opposite directions to open and close the earring. As the halves are flexed in opposite directions about pivot point B the seam allows the cross section of the tube 2 to temporarily distort as it is placed in torsion (it becomes somewhat flattened or oval at least near to pivot location B) in a relatively controlled manner and in such a way that on release of the flexing force the cross section of the tube tends strongly to return to its original shape occupied prior to application of the flexing force. This action provides a spring resilience in the item and a strong degree of elasticity. Additionally, where the former 3 itself is retained in the item there are additional advantages. The former 3 is flexible and the flexing of tube 2 and consequential change in cross-sectional shape of the tube takes place against the resilient action of the former which additionally aids in returning the tube to its original shape on removal of the flexing force whilst supporting the tubular cross section. Thus, the former further increases the inherent "springiness" of the item to a very high degree of elasticity at least in the flexing directions. The seam allows a temporary change in shape of the tube 2 and thus reduces risk of a permanent change or damage to the item. The tube 2 itself needs to be relatively strong and provide a strong resistance to the earring being opened out with the two halves being held in the same plane, i.e. by pulling the pin 4 directly out of end Y- The seamed construction of tube 2 and also the former each provide additional strength to the item and resistance to opening the earring in such incorrect fashion. In fact, in tests performed by the Applicant, where the gold is introduced onto the former in such manner that no seam is provided (for example, by electrodeposition) to date the required degree of flexibility and springiness has been lacking for the aforedescribed earring 1, so that the halves cannot conveniently be flexed into and out of the open and closed position without risk of damage. Thus it may be possible to bend the item but not in such manner that it will return to its original shape on release of the flexing force; the tube tends to retain the shape that it is bent or flexed into rather than being springy. Although the present invention has been illustrated by way of example with reference to a sleeper earring it is possible that other items of jewellery (for example bangles ) may be produced which take advantage of the principles involved. Since the former is usually retained in the finished item there may be a greater variety of shapes of items which may be produced, since there may no longer be a need to provide an opening in the item to access the former for destruction or disposal of waste former products. It is envisaged that flexible and resilient items of jewellery such as arm bangles may be provided in which a former (e.g. of nylon) may be provided with precious metal introduced thereon. End caps may then be attached, for example by adhesive, to each end of the bangle. The bangle may be attached to, and detached from, the wrist by employing a similar flexing procedure as previously explained in relation to the earring, although no pin is required to bridge the gap between the ends of the bangle. The sleeper earring may be of the general type referred to in U.K. Patent Specification No. 8707112 of the present Applicant (the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference). In such an instance use of the former may simplify and strengthen construction of the hinge. In that specification a separate hinge is employed in which hinge ends 4b are soldered onto the arc portions 2, 3. By applying the principles of the present invention to this type of earring no separate hinge would be required since the ends of portions 2, 3 would not be hollow. An interfit connection (possibly of a similar form to the hinge interconnection shown) could be cut directly into the ends of the arc portions through the former and a pin introduced therethrough in a manner which should be easy to envisage. FIGURE 2 shows a hollow sleeper earring 1' which is of similar form to that shown in U.K. Patent Specification No. 8707112. The form of the earring should generally be apparent by comparison with FIGURE 1 and the penultimate paragraph. As shown the hinge interfit connection C is cut directly into the ends of the arc portions through the former and pin p is introduced into a hole therethrough (see ringed detail) . Additionally, and advantageously, the clasp S has been fashioned directly from the other ends of the arc portions by swaging end E and introduction of co- operating diametrically opposed sets of pips pi and p2. Pips p2 are optional. Once again it is possible that the present invention could be applicable to stud earrings of the type referred to in U.K. Specification No. 2179237A of the Applicant, the content of which is also incorporated by reference. A straight earring pin may be made, for example by introducing gold onto a straight former and a decorative portion of the earring may then be attached to the earring pin including the former by a process other than soldering, for example, by adhesive. Further problems have been encountered in some embodiments of sleeper earrings in accordance with the present invention in reliably attaching the earring pin 4 to the sleeper. For example, at least in sleeper earrings 1 having an external tube diameter of .075" (0.19cm) and internal diameter of .067" (0.17cm) it has been found that merely drilling a hole in the former of .025" (0.64cm) and pushing in an earring pin 4 of diameter .025" (0.64cm) may not yield an attachment which is sufficiently reliable. It may be that the earring pin 4 could be made to rotate in its receiving hole H in the former if handled relatively roughly and for that reason a preferred manner of attachment has been devised by the Applicant which is more reliable, so that the earring is able to withstand a certain amount of "abuse". Initially, a barbed pin was employed in order to obviate the possibility of rotation of the earring pin 4 in its receiving hole H but a seemingly more successful and cost effective solution is represented by said preferred manner of attachment which utilises an earring having a "spade" tip as shown in FIGURE 4. FIGURE 4 shows an end 4 l a of an earring pin 4' . The widest dimension of the flattened spade tip t is .040" (0.10cm), the pin 4' being a .025" (0.064cm)diameter pin. Additionally, the pin 4' is, advantageously, provided with a guide mark M located 3mm along the pin 4' as shown in FIGURE 4. The guide mark yields an indication to the assembler of how far the pin 4' needs to be inserted into the receiving end of the sleeper, and this mark M is, in practice, aligned with the end edge of the associated end of the sleeper. The Applicant has developed a special hand press tool which creates the spade tip t on the earring pin 4' and, advantageously cuts or swages the guide mark M as part of the same operation. Before inserting the pin 4 1 into the hole H (which is .025"- .064cm), the end 4'a of the pin is heated sufficiently to melt the nylon material of the former which contacts spade tip t as it is inserted into receiving hole H. The end 4'a is inserted to a depth governed by guide mark M and is thus substantially prevented from being turned around relative to the sleeper and and/or broken off, due to the presence of the spade tip (as well as the correct depth of insertion of the pin into the sleeper). In practice, the end 4'a of pin 4' is simply held in a flame using asbestos-lined pliers (so that heat is not lost from the pin) until it is hot enough to melt the nylon which comes into contact with the spade tip t when the pin is subsequently attached to the sleeper. In the opposing end Y of the sleeper, gap G is created by drilling a hole of .040" (0.10cm) in the former, in order to receive the free end of the pin. Once again, the free end of the pin is arranged to extend a distance of 3mm into said opposing end Y of the sleeper (i.e. into gap G) when in the closed position. For some sleeper earrings of smaller tube diameter (e.g. .025" outside diameter - .017" inside diameter) it is not feasible to drill a receiving hole in the former. Instead, the end X which receives the pin 4 is heated so that nylon material at said end is burned away. In practice, the end Y is held by copper-lined (for dissipation of heat) pliers a distance of 3mm from the end edge thereof, and said end Y is held in a flame until the nylon material is burned away. The material is only burned away to the required depth of 3mm due to the action of the copper-lined pliers dissipating heat away from the sleeper at that point. Once the nylon material has been burned away to the required depth, the end 4a (no spade tip provided in this case) of the earring pin (.025" diameter) is inserted into the receiving hole H and the end X of the sleeper is crimped to hold the pin in place (adhesive may also be applied to end 4'a of the pin before insertion). For earring pins having an internal tube diameter down to .040" (.10cm) the earring pin 4' with spade tip t is utilised with the drilled hole H of .025" (.06cm). This size of earring pin can be utilised with earring sleepers having a tube inside diameter of .040" (.10cm) up to .112" (.28cm). The Applicant produces a range of earrings having six different tube diameters for the sleeper, with outside diameters of .120", .095", .075", .050", .030" > .025" and associated inside diameters of .112", .087", .067", .042", .022", .017" respectively. The same size pin 4' (.025 diameter, .040" spade tip) is used for outside tube diameters of .120" to .050" and a different pin 4 (without spade tip) is used for the remaining two sizes of earring( .030" , .025"). Additionally, and most importantly it is envisaged that the precious metal of the sleeper may actually be glued to the former during the manufacturing process possibly by a substantially instantaneous contact adhesive of the "super-glue" type. This may be done as the nylon filament is fed through the die with the gold strip stock, as the gold is fashioned on the nylon filament former. The adhesive could be applied to the filament former as it is introduced into the die. Such a construction could be highly advantageous particularly when utilised with a sleeper of very thin precious metal e.g. .001" or .002" wall thickness since it may prevent flaking or fraying of the gold material. This could enable a quality item to be produced at a very significantly lower cost. This principle could be applied to items other than sleeper earrings. The aforedescribed construction of earring (or other item of jewellery) employing a retained mandrel allows an item to be easily produced in which the weight of the mandrel is not more than 20% of the weight of the whole item. Such a consideration may be important with regard to the rules and regulations governing the sale of hallmarked goods in certain countries, which countries may not allow a hallmark where the weight of the former exceeds 20% of the whole item. it is to be appreciated that the present invention offers many improvements at least some of which might be patentable individually or in combination. Any individual feature as aforementioned or as shown or implicit herein or combinations thereof, or functions or methods appertaining thereto, may be patentably inventive and any specific term as used herein should not be construed as unecessarily or unduly limiting; the scope of such a term should extend to, or may be replaced or supplemented by, any reasonable equivalent or generic expression. In this connection the term "former" as used throughout the Specification could be replaced, for example, simply by "member". The "member" could be a spring member e.g. inserted into an earring sleeper after making it tubular. The spring member may be a close- coiled helical spring which is, preferably, arranged in order to, and is strong enough for, the item of jewellery to exhibit substantially elastic properties. Additionally any range mentioned herein for any variable or parameter shall be taken to include a disclosure of any derivable sub-range within that range or of any particular value of the variable or parameter arranged within, or at an end of, the range or sub range. The phrase "non-winding process" as used throughout this specification is herein defined as meaning that precious metal is made into a tube by a process which does not involve strip metal stock being closely spirally wound into a tube about the tube axis, in the manner of a close-coiled spring.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An item of jewellery, for example a sleeper earring or bangle, comprising an inner former or member and an outer layer of precious metal, the inner former or member preferably supporting the outer layer of precious metal against localised deformation, said outer layer possibly having a axial seam and/or possibly having been made tubular by a non-winding process as herein defined, said item being inherently springy or resilient and the former or member being flexible to enable attachment and detachment to or from the person, said item having two halves which are flexed in opposite directions out of a main plane of the item, or twisted relative to one another, to allow for such attachment or detachment but such that the item is able to return, or tends to return, to its original shape on release of the flexing force, said former or member, preferably also acting to resist deformation of the precious metal during said flexing and during incorrect flexing which may occur during said attachment and detachment. 2. An item as claimed in Claim 1 in which the former is of nylon or of metalised wax. 3. An item as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the thickness of the precious metal layer is in the range .001" to .008", and/or in which said layer is an integrally-formed uniform tubular layer. 4. An item as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which is a sleeper earring having an earring pin attached to one end of a sleeper by a non-heat treatment process of the metal of the sleeper, for example by adhesive. 5. An item as claimed in Claim 4 in which the earring pin includes a cap which is attached to said one end of the sleeper, preferably without heat treatment, e,g. by adhesiv . 6. An item as claimed in Claim 5 in which the precious metal comprises a seamed tube and the cap acts in part to hold the edges of the seam together. 7. An item as claimed in any one of Claim 4 to 6 in which a hole is made in the former, for example by drilling or organic erosion to receive said pin. 8. An item as claimed in any one of Claim 4 to 7 in which one end of the sleeper which receives the pin is crimped thereto. 9. A method of making an item of jewellery, for example a hollow sleeper earring, comprising supporting a tubular layer of precious metal on a flexible former whilst said item is bent into shape, said tubular layer of precious metal having an axial seam and/or having been applied onto the former by a non-winding process as herein defined, said former supporting said tubular layer against localised deformation or cross sectional reduction during said bending, and said method preferably, comprising retaining the former within the item to support said layer of precious metal against localised deformation once said item is completed, said item possibly having two halves which are flexed in opposite directions out of a main plane of the item or twisted relative to one another to allow attachment and detachment of the item to and from a person, and possibly in which the former is destroyed to provide a hollow structure, and possibly in which the item of jewellery is a hollow precious metal sleeper earring made by rolling precious metal on the former in a manner such that a, or the seam, in the precious metal extends along an inner circumferential arc of the sleeper and in which preferred method the precious metal is first drawn into a tube during which the former in the form of a thin filament is fed simultaneously thereinto so that the tube is fashioned on the former, the tube and former being coiled and cut to provide the earring sleeper and the former being burnt out before an earring pin is attached to the sleeper, and possibly in which one end of the earring pin is soldered or crimped to one hollow end of the sleeper and a free end of the pin fits neatly into the opposite end of the sleeper, the free end of the pin being disengageable from the sleeper by flexing the earring. 10. An item when made by the method of Claim 9 which is a hinged sleeper earring with the hinge being fashioned from adjacent ends of arcuate portions of the earring, preferably without heat treatment or soldering. 11. An arcuate item of jewellery, for example a sleeper earring or bangle, having an inner former or member inside an outer layer of precious metal (said former preferably being such that it supports said layer of precious metal to strengthen said item), the layer of precious metal being tubular and having a seam along an inner arcuate boundary of said item or said precious metal layer having been made tubular by a non-winding process as herein defined, said item having two halves which are flexed in opposite directions out of a main plane of the item or twisted relative to one another to allow for attachment and detachment to and from the person, or an item of jewellery comprising an inner former or member supporting or arranged inside an outer layer of precious metal and characterised by one or more of the following features:- (a) the arrangement is such that the former or member is capable of removal from said item during manufacture, for example by a heat process, to alternatively provide a hollow item, said outer layer of precious metal having been fashioned by a non-winding process as herein defined, (b) the item of jewellery is inherently resilient or springy and the former or member is able to flex, and for example said item is a bangle in which ends thereof are covered by caps of precious metal attached thereto, preferably by a non-heat treatment process of the metal, said item of jewellery possibly having two halves to enable attachment and detachment to or from the person, said halves being flexible in opposite directions to allow for said attachment and detachment, said item preferably having a seam or at least said item being made by a non-winding process as herein defined, (c) the item of jewellery is a sleeper earring in which an earring pin is attached to one end of the sleeper, preferably without heat treatment of the precious metal of the sleeper, and in which means is provided on the other end of the sleeper to releasably retain a free end of the earring thereto, said retaining means preferably comprising a recess in said other end of the sleeper, (d) the item of jewellery is a hinged sleeper earring in which the hinge is fashioned from adjacent ends of arcuate portions of the earring, and preferably in which a clasp is fashioned from the other ends of said arcuate portions, possibly by swaging of at least one of said ends, (e) the item of jewellery is a stud earring in which the former is retained in the earring pin and a decorative portion is attached thereto by a non-heat treatment process of the precious metal, e.g. by adhesive, or An item of jewellery, having an inner former or member supporting or arranged inside an outer layer of precious metal fashioned into a tube having a seam therealong or said tube having been fashioned by a non- winding process as herein described, said item being provided with end caps attached thereto, preferably by a non-soldering or non-heat treatment process (e.g. by gluing), said item preferably being of arcuate shape. 12. A method of making an item of jewellery, in which a layer of precious metal is introduced onto a flexible former or member by a non-winding process as herein defined which former is retained in order to thereby strengthen the item, and modifying completion of the item to take account of the presence of the former and preferably in which said modifications include: (a) capping the ends of the item where the item is a sleeper earring or bangle, or (b) modifying attachment of an earring pin to a sleeper earring without heat treatment of the metal, or A method of making a hollow sleeper earring comprising:- (a) introducing precious metal onto a former to provide a sleeper, (b) attaching a pin, preferably without heat treatment of the precious metal of the sleeper, to one free end of the sleeper whilst the former is retained within the precious metal, said former possibly being capable of removal from the precious metal, (c) providing retaining means on a second free end of the sleeper to receive a free end of said pin and releasingly retain said free end of the pin to the sleeper, (d) said former being retained within the earring on completion thereof, or a method of making a hollow sleeper earring comprising:- (a) providing a former or member inside a tubular layer of precious metal to make a sleeper, (b) attaching a pin, preferably without heat treatment of the precious metal of the sleeper, to one free end of the sleeper, (c) providing retaining means on a second free end of the sleeper to receive a free end of said pin and releasingly retain said free end of the pin to the sleeper, (d) preferably attaching end caps to respective ends of the sleeper (preferably by a non-heat treatment of the metal e.g. by gluing), and preferably one of said end caps having a hole to receive said free end of the pin. 13. A method of making an arcuate item of jewellery, for example a sleeper earring having two halves which are flexed in opposite directions out of a main plane of the item or twisted relative to one another to allow attachment and detachment of the item to and from a person, said method comprising:- constructing said item with an outer tubular layer of precious metal and an inner flexible former or member, such that the item is able to return, or at least tends to return to its original shape on releasing of a flexing force. 14. An item of jewellery made by the method of Claim 13.

Inventors: FRENCH CHRISTOPHER SIMON, FRENCH, CHRISTOPHER, SIMON
Applicants: ACME JEWELLERY LTD, ACME JEWELLERY LIMITED
Application year: 1989
Main classification: A44C7
IPC codes: A44C5, A44C7, A44C27