Abstract:
The present invention involves the use of Iridium to at least partially fabricate jewelry or to create an entire piece of jewelry such as finger rings, watches, watch bands, toe rings, chains, bracelets, bands, jewel settings, charms, necklaces, hair pins, brooches, earrings and other jewelry items worn for personal adornment.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to the field of jewelry which includes rings, pendants, necklaces, earrings, bands, bracelets, watches, watch bands and any other item made of precious metals which are worn for personal adornment by people. 
         [0003]    2. Detailed Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    1. Iridium is the chemical element with atomic number 77 and is represented by the symbol Ir. Iridium is a very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum family. Iridium is the second densest element (after osmium) and is the most corrosion-resistant metal, even at temperatures as high as 2000° C. 
         [0005]    2. A member of the platinum group of metals, Iridium is white, resembling Platinum but with a slight yellowish cast. Due to its hardness, brittleness, and very high melting point (the tenth highest of all elements), solid Iridium is difficult to machine, form, or work, and thus powder metallurgy is commonly employed instead. It is the only metal to maintain good mechanical properties in air at temperatures above 1600° C. Iridium has a very high boiling point (eleventh among all elements) and becomes a superconductor under 0.14K. 
         [0006]    Iridium&#39;s modulus of elasticity is the second highest among the metals, only being surpassed by osmium. This, together with a high modulus of rigidity and a very low figure for Poisson&#39;s ratio (the relationship of longitudinal to lateral strain), indicate the high degree of stiffness and resistance to deformation that have rendered its fabrication into useful components a matter of great difficulty. 
         [0007]    3. With respect to prior uses of Iridium, Iridium has been used for spark plugs and for electrochemical applications such as electrodes for the chloralkali process for catalysis. 
         [0008]    4. Corrosion and heat resistance make Iridium an important alloying agent. Certain long-life aircraft engine parts are made out of an Iridium alloy and an Iridium titanium alloy is used for deep water pipes because of its corrosion resistance. Iridium is also used as a hardening agent in platinum alloys. 
         [0009]    Further, devices which must withstand extremely high temperatures are often made from Iridium. For example, high temperature crucibles have been made of Iridium. 
         [0010]    5. Iridium-osmium alloys were also used to tip fountain pen nibs and Iridium-Platinum alloys are used to touch holes or vent pieces of canons. 
         [0011]    While Iridium has been used in various selected applications including as a hardener in platinum that is used in some platinum jewelry, no one has ever thought of the concept of using Iridium as a primary metal to create items of jewelry used for personal adornment. Gold, Silver and Platinum first became attractive to early man as objects for personal adornment because unlike other metals, such as iron, tin and nickel, they uniquely always remained shiny. Jewelry was first invented to allow people to adorn themselves with these strangely non-tarnishing metals. Tarnish is the result of metal oxidation or corrosion; the metal converting to its oxide, such as iron converting to iron oxide or rust. Thus, it could be said that the history of metallic jewelry involves a search by man to identify the most corrosion resistant elemental metals to take advantage of their attractive non-tarnishing shiny appearance. Note this is a different quality than their ability to harden or strengthen other materials as a minority additive to an alloy of, for example, osmium or platinum. There is a significant need for the creation of Iridium jewelry because it is the least corrosive of all metals; therefore, enabling the jewelry to remain shiny over a very long time without tarnishing, even under the most extreme conditions. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The present invention involves the use of Iridium to at least partially fabricate jewelry and preferably to create an entire piece of jewelry such as a watch, watch band, ring, bracelet, band, necklace, pendant, earrings, toe ring and other jewelry items worn for personal adornment. 
         [0013]    Iridium has a melting point of 2466° C. or 4471° F. and a boiling point of 4428° C. or 8002° F. 
         [0014]    It has been discovered that there is a constant need to find metals for jewelry that are shiny and not subject to corrosion over the long term. That is why gold, silver and platinum are popular. No one has ever used pure Iridium to create an item of jewelry. It has been discovered that items of jewelry can be made out of pure Iridium and formed into metal rings and other forms of a jewelry grade that can be worn as rings, wedding bands, watches, on necklaces, and as earrings as well as toe rings. Iridium is the least corrosive metal in the universe and thus provides jewelry wearers with a jewelry metal that is less corrosive than even gold or platinum. 
         [0015]    It has been discovered according to the present invention that the use of jewelry methods including, without limitation, (1) melting &amp; casting, (2) extruding &amp; forming wire and (3) tube forming &amp; cutting can be utilized to create an item of Iridium jewelry such as a ring made out of Iridium. 
         [0016]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to create items of jewelry including finger rings, toe rings, watches and watch bands, pendants, bands, bracelets, necklaces, charms, chains and other items of personal adornment made entirely out of Iridium. 
         [0017]    It is also within the spirit and scope of the present invention and an object of the present invention to make items of jewelry that are at least partially made out of Iridium, but no less than 75% Iridium. 
         [0018]    The purity of metal can be measured in carats or karats. With respect to carat purity, using gold as analogy, 24 carats is considered a minimum of 99% pure. 22 carats when used in Arabic countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, is 91.6% pure. Arabic countries in the Persian Gulf use 21 carats to designate 87.5% pure. European countries and southern Mediterranean countries use 18 carats to designate 75% pure. Therefore, it is a principle of the present invention that the jewelry made of Iridium will be at least 18 carats and preferably as high as 24 carats but no less than 75% pure Iridium and up to 99.99% pure Iridium. The portion of the jewelry item that is not Iridium can be made of any other metal or metals. 
         [0019]    Further novel features and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, discussion and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the drawings. 
     
    
     
       DRAWING SUMMARY 
         [0020]    Referring particularly to the drawings for the purposes of illustration only and not limitation therein is illustrated: 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a process for making Iridium jewelry by melting and casting; 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a process for extruding and bending wire to produce an item of jewelry made out of Iridium; 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  is a process for forming an Iridium tube and cutting the tube into a ring; 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of a ring made of Iridium where the ring is fully closed; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of a ring mage of Iridium where there are two ends and the ring has an opening. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0026]    Although specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that such embodiments are by way of example only and merely illustrative of but a small number of the many possible specific embodiments which can represent applications of the principles of the present invention. Various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the present invention as further defined in the appended claims. 
         [0027]    The present invention incorporates the use of Iridium with a purity of 75% or greater in jewelry to provide a less corrosive metal than gold, silver and platinum. The key innovation is the creation of items of jewelry made out of Iridium. The present invention includes methods of making jewelry out of Iridium which include (1) melting &amp; casting, (2) extruding wire and bending, and (3) forming a tube either by extrusion, casting or rolling sheets/foil around a metal or ceramic bar, removing the bar to form an Iridium tube and then cutting rings out of the tube. It will be appreciated that these are only three of the methods that are within the spirit and scope of the present invention and other methods for forming an item of jewelry out of Iridium are also within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0028]    A first method for creating jewelry out of Iridium involves melting and casting. The steps in this process are set forth in the block diagram of  FIG. 1 . The mold of the Iridium ring or other jewelry piece is first created in Step  10  by using any one of several means including the method known as “lost wax casting” whereby the ring is designed and carved in wax. The wax is then wrapped or immersed in a high temperature mold material in Step  20 . The mold material in which the wax is wrapped or immersed and which is used as a mold in which to create the Iridium is made out of various preferred materials such as zirconia, yttria stabilized zirconia, hafnia and fused silica. In step  30 , the wax is then melted and removed leaving the mold. In Step  40 , Iridium is melted in a crucible and is then injected into the mold using a centrifuge in Step  50 . The temperature to which the Iridium is heated before it is poured into the mold is in the range of 2,440° C. to 3,000° C. In addition, the material out of which the mold is made must be able to withstand temperatures of at least 2,300° C. through 3,300° C. After the Iridium is poured into the mold in Step  60 , it is permitted to cool. It is permitted to cool for a period of 15 hours to 24 hours, unless accelerated cooling methods are employed, such as refrigeration. In its preferred final state, the Iridium is cooled to ambient room temperature. When the Iridium cools in Step  70 , the mold is removed leaving the ring or other jewelry item. The mold is removed by means of a laser cutter, diamond cutter or other similar means in order not to damage the Iridium. In this way, the Iridium can be formed into a ring or other setting or ornamental shape, which can be worn on a finger or a toe or can also be formed into a larger jewelry item such as a band, bracelet, charm, watch band, watch part, necklace, earring and chain on which other items can be worn. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a second method of forming a jewelry item out of Iridium involves extruding and bending wire. Jewelry of all types including finger rings, watch bands and bands, earrings and toe rings can be formed by extruding a piece of Iridium to form a specified diameter wire, such as 2 mm. Initially, the Iridium starts as a block or billet which is in a dimension range dependant on the size of the extrusion equipment. In Step  110 , the billet is then heated to a temperature between the range of 1,650° C. and 1,900° C. so that the Iridium is softened but not melted and thereafter, the Iridium billet is transferred to the extruder loader. A lubricant or “smut” can be added to the billet surface and the ram on the loader to prevent sticking. The billet moves to the extruder cradle and a ram applies pressure to a block that pushes the billet into the extruder container. Under further pressure, the billet is crushed against the extruder die, becoming shorter and wider until it has a full contact with the container walls. As a result of the pressure added to the billet, the heated soft but solid Iridium begins to squeeze through the die opening forming the Iridium wire as shown in Step  120 . While any diameter wire is within the spirit and scope of the present invention, it has been discovered that a 2 mm diameter wire is one preferred diameter for making an item of jewelry. As shown in Step  130 , the Iridium is then bent using wire former or wire bending equipment. The Iridium can be formed into a ring with a break or alternatively a completely enclosed band. If the band is to be enclosed, as shown in Step  140 , the ends of the Iridium band can be welded together or otherwise formed by a heat process so that the ring forms one complete band. In order to have a ring of greater width, several bands of Iridium that are 2 mm diameter can be welded or otherwise molded together to form a ring having a total width of 4 mm, 6 mm, etc. By way of example, the completely formed ring can be joined by welding using Iridium wire or pieces of solder or another compatible metal such as platinum or gold. Multiple rings can be stacked and welded together to create a thicker ring. 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a third method for creating a ring or other cylindrical shape out of Iridium is created by producing an Iridium tube cutting the jewelry item from an Iridium tube which can be manufactured by using a number of methods which includes: 
         [0031]    1. By using the method of melting &amp; casting as described above, a tube is cast with a diameter that is the diameter desired for the ring as shown in Step  210 . As shown in Step  220 , the tube is cut to the desired thickness of the ring. The Iridium is cut using a diamond cutter or laser cutter. 
         [0032]    2. A tube is extruded using the extrusion method described above to a diameter that is the diameter desired for the ring. A tube is cut to the desired thickness of the ring. The tube is cut to the desired thickness of the ring. The Iridium is cut using a diamond cutter or laser cutter. 
         [0033]    3. A sheet or foil of Iridium is wrapped around a metal or ceramic bar and the bar is then removed leaving the Iridium tube. The tube is then cut to the desired thickness of the ring. The Iridium is cut using a diamond cutter or laser cutter. 
         [0034]    One illustration of an item of jewelry made out of Iridium is illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 .  FIG. 4  shows an Iridium ring  300  where the ring is an entire full circle.  FIG. 5  shows an Iridium ring  400  where the Iridium ring has a split  410 . 
         [0035]    The jewelry item including the rings is illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5  and any other jewelry item illustrated by the methods set forth in  FIGS. 1 through 3  can be made of Iridium with a purity of at least 75% Iridium and it is also within the spirit and scope of the present invention to have the purity of Iridium be 99.99%. Portions of the jewelry item that are not Iridium can be made of any other metal or metals. 
         [0036]    Therefore, through use of the present invention, for the first time a jewelry item can be made out of Iridium wherein the jewelry item is comprised of at least 75% Iridium and can be as much as 99.99% Iridium. 
         [0037]    Through use of the above methods which are representative examples of the methods of creating the jewelry item, a jewelry item selected from the group consisting of finger rings, toe rings, bands, watches, watch bands, bracelets, charms, pendants and chains is made out of Iridium. Because the oxidation of Iridium is very low, the Iridium will not tarnish and will be a beautiful, long lasting jewelry item for a very long period of time. 
         [0038]    Of course the present invention is not intended to be restricted to any particular form or arrangement, or any specific embodiment, or any specific use, disclosed herein, since the same may be modified in various particulars or relations without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention hereinabove shown and described of which the apparatus or method shown is intended only for illustration and disclosure of an operative embodiment and not to show all of the various forms or modifications in which this invention might be embodied or operated.