IMPROVEMENTS IN EAR-RINGS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE FASTENING OF WATCH HOOKS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF JEWELLERY
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Elliott Searle, of East Stonehouse, in the
"County of Devon, Jeweller, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
EAR-RINGS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE FASTENING
OF WATCH HOOKS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF JEWELLERY."
Sealed the 5th January 1867, and dated the 4th October 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Elliott Searle
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th October 1866.
BE APPLIED TO THE
I, GEORGE ELLIOTT SEARLE, of East Stonehouse, in the County of Devon,
Jeweller, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN EAR-RINGS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO
FASTENINGS OF WATCH HOOKS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF JEWELLERY," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists of the arrangements of parts of ear-rings, herein-
after described, having for their object principally the attaching of the
ear-rings to the ear without the necessity for piercing the ear; ear-rings
made according to my Invention may, however, be used with ears which are
pierced.
My Invention is also applicable to the fastening of watch hooks and other
articles of jewellery.
I will describe an ear-ring constructed according to my Invention:-That
part of the ear-ring by which the ear-ring is attached to the ear consists of
[Price 8d.]

page_text: two curved pieces of wire, having at their upper ends small convex discs,
which when the ear ring is in use press respectively on the opposite sides of
the lobe of the ear; one of the said pieces of wire is fixed to the ornamental
plate or body of the ear-ring and the other is attached to the said plate or body
by means of a hinge joint; a screw passing through the plate or body bears
against the lower part of the moveable wire, and by driving home the said
screw the end of the moveable wire may be pressed towards the end of the
fixed wire, and the lobe of the ear grasped between the discs on the ends of
the wires with the requisite degree of force; the ear-ring is thereby securely
fixed to the ear. By making either the moveable or fixed wire without a disc,
and pointed at its end, the said pointed end may be passed through the
piercing in an ear that has been pierced, and the ear-ring secured by driving
home the screw so as to press the point of one wire against the disc of the
other wire. The separation of the two wires when the screw is turned for
detaching the ear-ring may be assisted by a spring bearing upon the moveable
wire. Instead of employing two wires, as described, a disc may be supported
by a wire nearly paralled with the ornamental plate or body of the earring,
and a screw with a disc on its inner end be made to work through the
middle of the ornamental plate or body of the ear-ring. By placing the lobe
of the ear between the ornamental plate or body of the ear-ring and the fixed
disc, and driving home the screw, the lobe of the ear is grasped between the
fixed disc and that on the end of the screw, and the ear-ring securely fixed to
When the last-described modification is to be used with an eat
which has been pierced the screw may be without a disc, and be pointed at
its end; the droppers are hung to the ear-rings in the usual way.
The arrangements of parts described for ear-rings may be applied to the
fastening of watch hooks and other articles of jewellery, with such modi
fications only in size and form as the particular kind of article requires
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Elliott Searle in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
ELLIOTT SEARLE, of East Stonehouse, in the County of Devon, Jeweller, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reigu, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Elliott Searle, Her special licence that I, the said George
Elliott Searle, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George Elliott Searle, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN EAR-RINGS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE
FASTENING OF WATCH HOOKS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF JEWELLERY," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Elliott Searle, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Elliott Searle, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the arrangement of parts of ear-rings herein-after
described having for their object principally the attaching of the ear-rings to
the ear without the necessity for piercing the ear. Ear-rings made according
to my Invention may however be used with ears which are pierced.
My Invention is also applicable to the fastening of watch hooks and other
articles of jewellery.
I will describe an ear-ring constructed according to my Invention. That
part of the ear-ring by which the ear-ring is attached to the ear consists of
two curved pieces of wire having at their upper ends small disks, which when
the ear-ring is in use press respectively on the opposite sides of the lobe of the
ear. One of the said pieces of wire is fixed to the ornamental top or body of
the ear-ring, and the other is attached to the said top or body by means of a
hinge joint. A screw passing through the top or body bears against the lower
part of the moveable or back wire, and by driving home the said screw the
end of the moveable or back wire may be pressed towards the end of the fixed
wire, and the lobe of the ear grasped between the disks on the ends of the
wires with the requisite degree of force; the ear-ring is thereby securely fixed

page_text: to the ear. By making either the moveable or fixed wire without a disk and
pointed at its end the said pointed end may be passed through the piercing in
an ear that has been pierced and the ear-ring secured by driving home the
screw, so as to press the point of one wire against the cupped end of the other
wire. The separation of the two wires when the screw is turned for detaching
the ear-ring may be assisted by a spring bearing upon the moveable wire; or
the back or moveable wire may be pressed towards the fixed wire by means of
a spring. Instead of employing two wires, as described, a disk may be sup-
ported by a wire nearly parallel with the ornamental top or body of the
ear-ring, and a screw with a disk on its inner end be made to work through
the middle of the ornamental top or body of the ear-ring. By placing the
lobe of the ear between the ornamental top or body of the ear-ring and the
fixed disk and driving home the screw the lobe of the ear is grasped between
the fixed disk and that on the end of the screw and the ear-ring securely fixed to
the ear. When the last-described modification is to be used with an ear which
has been pierced, the screw may be without a disk and be pointed at its end.
The droppers are hung to the ear-rings in the usual way.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation (partly in section) an ear-ring top to
be worn on ears that are not pierced, made according to my Invention;
Figure 2 is a back elevation of the same; and Figure 3 is a portion of the
same.
a is the ornamental body or top of the ear-ring; b is the fixed wire soldered
to the said body or top,and c is the moveable or back wire jointed to the back
of the said body, between the ends of which wires the lobes of the ear is
grasped. The back or moveable wire c carries the middle knuckle or joint
piece d, and the body or top a carries the other joint pieces e, between which
joint pieces e, that on the wire c is fitted a pin passed through the knuckle
pieces d, e, completing the joint. The back or moveable wire cis shown sepa-
rately in Figure 3. The top end of each of the wires b, c, is provided with a
disk, which may be made flat or hollow, or rounded to ease the pressure on
the lobe of the ear. f is a screw working in a hollow or concave screw made
in the hollow wire or tube g, fixed in the body or top a of the ear-ring. The
outer end of the screw f has an ornamental head, and the inner end has a
stop, which stop prevents the screw being entirely withdrawn from the body
or top a. The inner end of the screw bears against the lower part or tail of
the moveable or back wire c,.and. by driving home the said screw the end or

page_text: the same.
disc of the moveable or back wire c may be pressed towards the end or disc
of the fixed wire b, and the lobe of the ear grasped between them with the
requisite degree of force; the ear-ring is thereby securely fixed to the ear.
Figures 4 and 5 represent another ear-ring top to be worn on ears that are
not pierced, made according to my Invention; and Figure 6 is a portion of
In this case the end or disc of the moveable or back wire c is
pressed towards the end or disc of the fixed wire b, by means of a coiled
spring bearing against the tail piece of the said moveable wire c. The coiled
spring h works in a tube i fixed in the body or top a of the ear-ring, a notch
or opening being made in the upper side of the tube i for the tail piece of the
wire c to enter, when it is pressed inwards by its turned-up end c³, for the
purpose of separating the disc of the moveable wire c from that of the fixed
wire b. The back or moveable wire c has a small screw k passed through it,
the point or inner end of which bears against the back of the body or ear-
ring top a. By means of the screw the adjusting of the exact pressure
necessary for grasping the lobe of the ear safely is effected, yet without
allowing the discs of the wires to press too closely towards each other and pain
the ear. If a weak spring is employed a screw is unnecessary, and where the
thickness of the ear is ascertained a stop only need be employed. Instead of
a coiled spring for acting upon the back or moveable wire, a spring made from
a piece of wire or strip of metal may be substituted, as represented in Figure 9
of the Drawing.
Figures 7 and 8 represent an ear-ring constructed according to my Invention
to be worn on ears that are pierced. In this case the end of the fixed wire b
is pointed and passes through the hole in the lobe of the ear, and the end of
the back or moveable wire c is hollow or cup-shaped,and into the said hollow
or cup the point of the fixed wire b enters, and is firmly held in its place by
the pressure of the spring / upon the tail piece of the said back or moveable
wire c; or the back or moveable wire c may be pressed up against the point
of the fixed wire by means of a screw, as in the arrangement represented
in Figures 1 and 2. The hollow or cupped end may be made on the fixed
wire, and the point on the moveable wire with the same or nearly the same
effect.
h
The modification of my Invention in which the lobe of the ear is grasped
between a disc on a fixed wire parallel with the top of the ear-riug, and a disc
on the end of a screw passing through the ear-ring top will, I believe, be
sufficiently understood from the description of it herein-before given. The
droppers are hung to the bodies or tops of the car-rings by the hooks 7, as
is usual.

page_text: The arrangements of parts described for ear-rings may be applied to the
fastening of watch hooks and other articles of jewellery, with such modifica
tions only in size and form as the particular kind of article requires.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and represented in the Drawing,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention;
but I claim as my Invention the several arrangements or combinations of the
parts of ear-rings, watch hooks, and other articles of jewellery hereiu-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, the said arrangements
or combinations having for their object the securing the said ear-rings to the
ear, and the said watch hooks and other articles of jewellery, to watches, and
such portions of the dress as it may be wished to secure them to.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Elliott Searle, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
GEORGE PHILLIPS,
East Stonehouse,
Devon.
GEORGE ELLIOTT SEARLE. (L.S.)