Abstract:
A pierced earring may also be used to decorate an end cap of a bangle or bracelet in which the end cap has an aperture through which the post of the earring is slid with the end cap holding the pierced earring decorative head in place thereby providing an additional environment in which the pierced earring may serve a decorative purpose.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the priority of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/914,545, filed Dec. 11, 2013, the substance of which is incorporated herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a decorative element which can be used as an end piece for bracelets or other jewelry elements as well as a stud earring for pierced ears. 
     An area of the jewelry industry which has been growing is that in which jewelry may serve multifunctional purposes. Such an effort has been made because of the desire to reduce the ultimate cost of jewelry yet provide interesting and different decorative jewelry items using some of the same elements. 
     Earrings for pierced ears include a decorative element attached to a pin or post and an earring back which attaches the decorative element in the front of the post to the ear with the pin or post passing through the hole in a pierced ear and being snugly attached to the ear by an earring back. 
     The range in variety of jewelry serving as earrings for pierced ears is very broad. 
     The inventors recognize that a multifunctional jewelry element can be provided which can serve both as an earring for pierced ears and an end or other decoratively located element to decorate another jewelry item, such as a bracelet, pendant or the like. The multifunctional utilization of decorative jewelry elements having a post extending therefrom is achieved by utilizing magnetic attraction to hold the decorative element in an aperture of a jewelry item other than an earring, yet be able to also use the post of the earring for conventional pierced earrings. In another embodiment, a friction fit anchor located within the bracelet or pendant can capture and hold the decorative end element by capturing and holding the pin or post of the earring with or without magnetic attraction. 
     The invention will be more fully understood with reference to the figures of the invention attached hereto. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of earrings with posts for pierced ears and a bracelet having apertures at their free ends to receive the posts with the earring and free ends attracted to each other by magnetism. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the earring being inserted into a bangle end and being held by friction. 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of a magnet to be attached to a bangle end. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the earrings being inserted into the ends of the bracelet. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     While this invention is illustrated with use of button pearls as the decorative earring element, any suitable decorative jewelry item which can be held on the end of a pierced earring and be mounted in the jewelry bangle to hold the decorative element will be suitable. Additionally, while the invention is illustrated with a bracelet or bangle, the decorative elements conventionally used for earrings could be used with any other jewelry article having sufficient depth to receive and hold the post. The post may be held in the bangle by friction, magnetic means or a combination of both. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a rear portion of the decorative button pearl element  14  has an annular recess  16  into which an annular magnet  10  may be attached. Alternatively, magnet  10  may merely be comprised of a metal capable of being attracted to a magnet. Post  12  integrally formed with button pearl  14  extends rearwardly therefrom with an annular collar  17  on post  12  to secure the post. Magnet  10  or some other magnetically attracted metal is set into recess  16  and may be held there by suitable adhesive or other adhering means. Such button pearls may be used in the conventional manner as pierced earrings by attaching the post  12  to a conventional earring back in the conventional fashion. 
     A bracelet or bangle  18  has end pieces  19  located at the free ends  21  of the bracelet. As normally worn, bracelet  18  has its free ends  21  separated from each other to permit the wearer to slip the bracelet on or take it off. End pieces  19  have a circular magnet  20  with a center aperture  22  attached in the end faces  24  of the bangle  18 . Magnet  20  is securely attached in annular recesses  26  formed at the end faces  24  of the bangle to ensure firm attachment of magnet  20  to the bangle end. 
     The multifunctional decorative element  14  serves both as a decorative end for the bracelet or bangle of  FIG. 1  as well as serving as a standard earring for pierced ears. 
     Additionally, instead of using two magnetic elements  10  and  20 , only one magnetic element may be needed so long as the other element is magnetically attracted thereto. 
     As stated above, other decorative elements could be used in association with the magnet mounted on the post and the decorative elements could be utilized with other items of jewelry which can accommodate a traditional post length for insertion into an aperture to be magnetically held or held by friction. 
     The embodiment of  FIG. 1  discloses magnetically holding pin  12  in end cap  19  of bangle or bracelet  18 . An alternative embodiment not employing magnetic attraction is disclosed in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , and an embodiment combining the embodiments of  FIGS. 1-4  is also within the teachings of this invention. 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view which shows a pierced earring  14  with pin  12  inserted in aperture  22  in front face  24  of end cap  19 . Pin  12  is inserted in a receptacle  13  formed of a plurality of axially aligned holding elements to receive and hold the pin  12 . Receptacle  13  includes an end cap  19  had which has an end cap body  30  which has a cylindrical bore  32  therethrough. Bore  32  is axially aligned with aperture  22  of the end cap. A silicone sleeve  34  also has a bore  36  therethrough axially aligned with the axial bore  32  in recess  33  and aperture  22 . Sleeve  34  may be silicone or some other rubber type material, and the bore  36  essentially located therein is sized to allow pin  12  to frictionally slide therethrough but to hold pin  12  frictionally in sleeve  34 . Sleeve  34  fits within a cylindrical capture member  38  having a central bore  40  axially aligned with bores  36 ,  32  and aperture  22 . Bore  40  is slightly larger and accommodates cylindrical sleeve  34  with the cylindrical sleeve  34  captured in an axially aligned cylindrical recess  42  in cylindrical capture member  38 . Capture member  38  holds silicone sleeve  34  and slides into and is held in bore  32  of end cap body  30 . 
     A docking shaft  44  extends further inwardly from capture member  38  and is integrally attached to cylindrical head  42 , with docking shaft  44  having a bore  46  therethrough axially aligned with bores  36  and  32  and aperture  22 . 
     Pierced earring  14  is captured by and held in end cap  19  with pin  12  passing through aperture  22 , bore  32  through end cap body  19 , bore  36  through silicone sleeve  34  and bore  42  in cylindrical head  38  with pin  12  thereby resting within capture shaft  44 . 
     The relatively small size of silicone shaft enables the shaft to be held in place in recess  32  yet be short enough permitting relatively passage of pin  12  into docking shaft  46 . Silicone sleeve  34  thereby holds pin  12  in place because it bears on the pin  12  when the pierced earring  14  is inserted within the free end of end cap  19 . 
     As described above, front face  24  in  FIGS. 2 and 4  need not be of magnetic material since silicone sleeve  34  provides enough friction to hold pin  12  in place. On the other hand, one could have a combination of annular magnet  20  fitting in recess  26  thereby further holding pierced earring  14  in place with the pierced earring itself either having a magnetic member as at  10  or a metal attracted to magnet  20  in end cap  19 . 
     It should be understood that the preferred embodiment was described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly legally and equitably entitled.