IMPROVEMENTS IN MOURNING AND OTHER LOCKETS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO OTHER DRESS ORNAMENTS.
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to. Thomas Smart Turnbull, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Mourning Jeweller and Jet Ornament Manu-
facturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOURNING AND OTHER
LOCKETS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO OTHER DRESS
ORNAMENTS.
Sealed the 27th August 1867, and dated the 8th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Smart Turnbull
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th March 1867.
I, THOMAS SMART TURNBULL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Mourning Jeweller and Jet Ornament, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOURNING AND OTHER
LOCKETS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO OTHER DRESS ORNAMENTS,"
to be as follows:-
My said Invention relates principally to mourning lockets, that is, lockets
the exterior of which is covered with jet or other black substance or material
and also to lockets, the exterior of which is covered with other mineral or
non-metallic substance, such for example as malachite, precious stones, shell,

page_text: ivory, ornamental woods, ebonite papier mâché, and such like substances.
My said Invention, however, is applicable also to various other ornamental
articles worn about the person, such, for example, as bracelets, brooches,
pendants, and vinaigrettes. I will describe my Invention in connection with a
jet mourning locket. The object of my Invention is to give to mourning lockets
the appearance of being made entirely or almost entirely of jet and at the
same time to give them the strength of metal lockets; this I effect by making
the foundation of the locket, that is, the sides, hinge, and fastening of metal
and afterwards affixing thereto coatings or coverings of jet which conceal all
the metallic parts of the locket excepting the hinge, and in some cases the
catch of the fastening and the suspending ring. I make the metallic part of
the locket of two shells, having the figure proper for the interior of the
locket. I connect these shells together by means of a hinge or hinges of
such a figure that when the said shells are opened or separated they are at
such a distance apart that there is ample room for the coatings of jet. The
said shells are provided with the usual or any required fastening and with
suspending rings of the ordinary kind, excepting that the said fastenings or
rings are of a figure proper to be used in conjunction with the coating of jet
to be added to the metal foundation. In applying coatings of jet to the
metallic foundation of the locket I give to the exterior of the said coatings of
jet the required ornamental figure and to the interior such a figure as will
enable them to be fitted as closely as may be to the metallic shells. I
attach the said coverings of jet to the said metallic shells by means of shellac
or other adhesive matter, and by giving to the said coverings such a figure as
that they will cover the edges of the metallic shells the finished locket has the
appearance of being made wholly of jet, whereas it is principally made of
metal and covered with jet. By this method of constructing mourning
lockets they are made to have all the strength of metallic lockets. and the
appearance of being made entirely or almost entirely of jet..
The method of construction described with respect to jet mourning lockets
may be applied to mourning lockets in which jet is replaced by artificial
jet or other black material or substance as well as to lockets in which instead
of coverings of jet coverings of other non-metallic substances or materials are
used as well as to other ornamental articles worn on the person."

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
.
by the said Thomas Smart Turnbull in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd September 1867.
...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SMART, TURNBULL, of, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mourning
Jeweller and Jet Ornament Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Smart Turnbull, Her special licence that I, the said
Thomas Smart Turnbull, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Thomas Smart Turnbull, 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 MOURNING AND OTHER LOCKETS, WHICH Iм-
PROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO OTHER DRESS ORNAMENTE," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Smart Turnbull, 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 Thomas Smart Turnbull, 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 said Invention relates principally to mourning lockets, that is, lockets.
the exterior, of which is covered with jet or other black substance or material,
and also to lockets, the exterior of which is covered with other.mineral.or
non-metallic-substance, such for example as malachite, precious stones,..shell,
ivory, ornamental ..woods, ebonite, papier mâché, and, such like substances..
My said Invention,,however, is applicable also to ivarious. other ornamental
articles worn about. the person, such for example as bracelets, brooches,
pendants, and vinaigrettes. I will describe my Invention in connection with

page_text: a jet mourning locket. The object of my Invention is to give to mourning
lockets the appearance of being made entirely or almost entirely of jet, and
at the same time to give them the strength of metal lockets. This I effect
by making the foundation of the locket, that is, the sides, hinge, and fastening
of metal, and afterwards affixing thereto coatings or coverings of jet which
conceal all the metallic parts of the locket excepting the hinge; and in some
cases the catch of the fastening and the suspending ring. I make the metallic
part of the locket of two shells, having the figure proper for the interior of
the locket, connect these shells together by means of a hinge or hinges of
such a figure that when the said shells are opened or separated they are
at such a distance àpart that there is ample room for the coatings of jet.
The said shells are provided with the usual or any required fastening, and
with suspending rings of the ordinary kind, excepting that the said fastenings
or rings are of a figure proper to be used in conjunction with the coatings of
jet to be added to the metal foundation. In applying coatings of jet to the
metallic foundation of the locket, I give to the exterior of the said coatings
of jet the required ornamental figure, and to the interior such a figure as
will enable them to be fitted as closely as may be to the metallic shells. I
attach the said coverings of jet to the said metallic shells by means of shellac
or other adhesive matter; and by giving to the said coverings such a figure
as that they will cover the edges of the metallic shells the finished locket
has the appearance of being made wholly of jet, whereas it is principally
made of metal and covered with jet. By this method of constructing
mourning lockets they are made to have all the strength of metallic lockets,
and the appearance of being made entirely or almost entirely of jet.
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, and Figure 2 in. cross section a jet
mourning locket of an elliptical figure constructed according to my Invention,
and Figure 3 represents the locket open; the said locket consists of a founda-
tion of metal covered with a coating or covering of jet. In making the said
locket: I take the metal shell represented in cross section, side elevation, and
front elevation in Figure 4 and marked a; and I also take another métal
shell represented in front elevation, side elevation, and cross section in
Figure 5 and marked b. These shells a, b, have the figure proper for the
interior of the locket. I make each of these shells a, b, by stamping or
raising in dies from a piece of sheet metal; or I make each of the said shells
from two or more pieces of sheet metal soldered. together. The shell a is.

page_text: provided with one part c of a hinge, and the other shell & is provided with the
counterpart d of the said hinge part c. These hinge pieces c, d, project from
their respective shells in the manner represented, so that when the said shells
are opened the latter are at such a distance apart that there is ample room for
the coverings of jet to be attached to the said shells. The shell a is also
provided with the catch or projection e and eye f for the suspending ring 9.
The shell is also provided with a catch or projection h. I hinge the
shells a, b, together by the hinge pieces c, d, and cover each of the said shells
with a covering or coating of jet marked i, i. One of the coverings of jet i is
represented separately in Figure 5A. The said coverings of jet i, i, have such
a figure internally that they fit closely upon the outsides of the metallic
shells a, b, recesses being made in the said coverings for the reception of the
joint pieces c, d, catches e, h, and eye piece f, the said parts c, d, e, f, h, lying
flush with the inner edges of the coverings of jet. The exterior of the
coatings i, i, have the desired ornamental figure given to them; the said coat-
ings of jet i, i, are attached to the metallic shells a, b, by means of shellac or
other adhesive matter; I prefer, however, to use a composition consisting of
shellac and resin. When the coverings or coatings of jet i, i, are attached to
the metal shells a, b, the edges of the said metal shells are covered, and all
the metallic parts of the locket are concealed excepting the binge, catch, and
suspending ring. The locket thus constructed has the appearance of being
made entirely or almost entirely of jet, while it possesses the strength of -a
metallic locket. The coverings or coatings of jet of each half of the locket
may be made, if necessary, in two or more pieces.
In order more firmly to secure the covering or coating of jet to the metal
shell or foundation the said metal shell or foundation may be provided with
studs, by preference, near the catch side, the said studs taking into holes in the
covering of jet. By this means great security is afforded against pulling
the covering of jet from the shell or foundation in the act of opening the
locket; or the covering of jet may be attached to the metal shell or founda-
tion by rivets in place of, or in addition to, the adhesive cement described.
Figures 6 and 7 represent a locket of a lozenge shape made according to
my Invention; Figure 6 representing the locket closed, and Figure 7 the
same open.
Figures 8 and 9 represent another locket constructed according to my
Invention, the locket being represented closed in Figure 8 and open in
Figure 9. In this locket the two parts instead of being hinged together
turn upon a pivot or centre k, and open and close the locket by a motion
parallel to the plane of the locket.

page_text: Figures 10 and 11 represent. a vinaigrette constructed according to my
Invention, the vinaigrette being represented closed in Figure 10 and open in
Figure 11.
The said lockets and vinaigrette, Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, are made in
the manner described with respect to the locket, Figures 1, 2, and 3, the metal
shells or foundations being marked 1, and the coverings of jet being marked m.
The method of construction described and represented with respect to jet
mourning lockets may be applied to mourning lockets in which jet is replaced
by artificial jet or other black material or substance, as well as to lockets in
which, instead of coverings of jet, coverings of malachite, precious stones, ivory,
and other non-metallic substances or materials are used, as well as to other
ornamental articles worn on the person.
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 illustrated in the
Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention, but I claim as my Invention the improvements in mourning and
other lockets and other dress ornaments herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, constructing mourning and other
Jockets and ornamental articles worn about the person of a metallic founda-
tion, and affixing thereto a covering or coating of jet, malachite, precious
stones, shell, ivory, wood, ebonite, papier mâché, and other non-metallic sub-
stance or material substantially as described and illustrated, whereby the
finished locket or article has, the appearance of being made entirely or almost
entirely of the jet or the other non-metallic substance or material employed,
and at the same time possesses the strength of a metallic locket or article.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Smart Turnbull, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Second day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
THOMAS SMART TURNBULL. (L.s.)
Witness,
HENRY SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.