IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FASTENINGS OF BROOCHES AND OTHER ARTICLES OF JEWELLERY."
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Long, of Tiverton, in the County of Devon,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FASTENINGS OF BROOCHES AND
OTHER ARTICLES OF JEWELLERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Long at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th January
1857.
I, JOHN LONG, of Tiverton, in the County of Devon, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FASTENINGS OF BROOCHES
AND OTHER ARTICLES OF JEWELLERY," to be as follows:-
This Invention is designed for affording greater security to the fastenings of
brooches and other articles of jewellery than heretofore, and consists in con-
structing such said fastenings in the manner herein-after described.
It is a well-known fact that the tongues, pins, or fastenings of brooches, as
heretofore commonly constructed, are liable to become unfastened from the catch
employed to hold the point of the tongue or pin, and frequently the joint of
the tongue or pin breaks, in either case the loss of the brooch is likely to
ensue. Now, the intention of this Invention is to obviate the above objections
and to render the fastenings of brooches and other articles of jewellery more
secure and durable than heretofore, which I effect by the following means:-
As regards brooches, instead of connecting the pin or fastening thereof to the
brooch by a hinge joint, as heretofore practised, I connect the said pin to the
brooch by a double-acting hooked spring catch, attached by one end to a
forked-shaped piece of metal securely fixed to the back of the brooch, and
disposed across or at right angles to the aforesaid pin when connected to the
brooch. At another part of the back of the brooch and opposite to the before-

page_text: mentioned forked piece, I affix a solid ring catch instead of a divided ring or
cycloidal-shaped catch, as commonly employed; and instead of permanently
connecting one end of the pin of the brooch to the back thereof, I connect
the said pin to the brooch each time of wearing said brooch, that is to say, I
first pass the point of the pin through the material to which the brooch is to
be affixed, and then pass the solid ring of the brooch over said pin, and finally
press the opposite end of the pin upon the top of and underneath the hooked
part of the before-mentioned spring catch, by which the brooch will be securely
connected to the pin thereof, and can only be detached therefrom by pulling
back the hooked catch which previously held it. I would here observe, that,
if desirable, the pin of the brooch may be connected to the back thereof by
an ordinary hinge joint, and when this is the case, the before-mentioned
forked piece and hooked spring catch is substituted in the place of the before-
mentioned solid ring. The above mode of fastening brooches is also applicable
to other articles of jewellery, such as bracelets, armlets, necklaces, and such
like articles, in lieu of ordinary snap or other fastenings, and various other
articles of jewellery in which fastenings are employed, for attaching or con-
necting the same when in use.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Long in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th July.
1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LONG, of Tiverton, in the County of Devon, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Long, Her special licence that I, the said John Long, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Long, 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 THE
FASTENINGS OF BROOCHES AND OTHER ARTICLES OF JEWELLERY," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Long, my executors or adminis-

page_text: trators, 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 John Long, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention is designed for affording greater security to the fastenings of
brooches and other articles of jewellery than heretofore, and consists in con-
structing such said fastenings in the manner fully described.
It is a well-known fact that the tongues, pins, or fastenings of brooches,
as heretofore commonly constructed, are liable to become unfastened from the
catch employed to hold the point of the tongue or pin, and frequently the joint
of the tongue or pin breaks, in either case the loss of the brooch is likely to
ensue. Now, the intention of my said Invention is to obviate the above
objections and to render the fastenings of brooches and other articles of
jewellery more secure and durable than heretofore, which I effect by the
following means:-
As regards brooches, instead of connecting the pin or fastening thereof to
the brooch by a hinge joint, as heretofore practised, I connect the said pin to
the brooch by a booked spring catch, attached by one end to a forked-shaped
piece of metal securely fixed to the back of the brooch, and disposed across
or at right angles to the aforesaid pin when connected to the brooch. At
another part of the back of the brooch and opposite to the before-mentioned
forked piece, I affix a solid-ring catch instead of a divided ring or cycloidal-
shaped catch, as commonly employed. And instead of permanently con
necting one end of the pin of the brooch to the back thereof, I connect the
said pin to the brooch each time of wearing said brooch, that is to say, I first
pass the point of the pin through the material to which the brooch is to be
affixed, and then pass the solid ring of the brooch over said pin, and finally
press the opposite end of the pin upon the top and underneath the hooked
part of the before-mentioned spring catch, by which the brooch will be
securely connected to the pin thereof, and can only be detached therefrom by
pulling back the hooked catch which previously held it. I would here
observe, that if desirable the pin of the brooch may be connected to the back
thereof by an ordinary hinge joint, and when this is the case, the before-

page_text: Figure 1 is an elevation of one of my improved fastenings for brooches and
other articles of jewellery; the front plate of the box of such said fastening
being removed to expose to view the mechanism contained in said box. Figure 2
shows the above improved fastening adapted to a brooch; Figure 3 shows
another form of construction of fastening for brooches, &c., &c.; Figure 4, a
detached portion, herein-after referred to.
At each of the foregoing Figures I employ similar letters of reference to
denote corresponding parts in so far as such parts, appear or can be seen at
each of such said Figures respectively.
At Figure 1, A is a box of thin metal, within which are arranged the hooked
catch piece B, and helical springs C, enclosed therein by the plate A'; a, b, c,
are small screws for connecting the plate A' to the box for enclosing and
concealing the mechanism which is therein. The screw a serves as the
fulcrum of the catch piece B, and the screw 6 serves as a stop to limit the
extent to which aforesaid catch piece is forced, and held back or locked by
the pressure of the spring C. The parts at the above Figure are represented
about three times their real size to render them more intelligible. At Figure 2
E is a tongue pin hinged to the frame of the brooch in the usual way. The
box A is soldered to said frame by the part 1, at Figure 1. I would here
remark, that the great practical objection to the use of tongues or pins when
hinged to articles of jewellery, as heretofore commonly practised, consists in the
hinge working loose, and ultimately being broken by the frequent insertion of
the aforesaid tongue or pin into the article to be fastened thereby, or to which
it is to be applied. Now, in order to remedy the above objection, and to
enable brooches and such like articles of jewellery to be more readily and
securely affixed to articles of dress than heretofore. I propose, instead of

page_text: hinging the tongue or pin of the brooch or other article of jewellery to the
frame thereof, to make it distinct and separate therefrom, as at Figure 3, and
to attach such said tongue or pin to the frame in the following manner :-I
securely solder a hook or a ring d to the frame of the brooch at one end, and at
the other end I solder my improved spring catch. The tongue or pin E, I form
enlarged at 2 and 3, so that when such said pin is attached to the brooch it
shall not be capable of being detached therefrom, except by drawing back the
spring catch B. In using the above improved fastenings it is only necessary,
as regards Figure 2, to press the tongue or pin E upon the top of the catch B,
by which the said catch will be pushed back until the pin has passed the point
thereof. The catch B being forced back into its original position by pressure
of the spring C thereon, thus entirely obstructing the unfastening of the brooch
without first drawing back the catch B, as before stated. And as regards the
improved fastening exhibited at Figure 3, the pin E is first passed through the
material to which the brooch or other article of jewellery is to be attached.
The ring or hook d is then passed over the point of the pin E, and the other
end of the pin pressed past the spring catch B, as before stated.
Having now fully described the nature and object of my said Invention of
improvements in the fastenings of brooches, and other articles of jewellery,
together with the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into
practical effect, I would remark, in conclusion, that I hereby declare my
Invention to consist in, and I claim,-
First, the spring catch exhibited more particularly at Figure 1.
Secondly, the mode exhibited at Figure 3, of connecting the tongue or pin
of a brooch or other article of jewellery to the frame thereof, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Long, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
o Witness,
JOHN COCKRAM, Ironmonger,
Tiverton.
JOHN LONG. (L.S.)