Metal working – Gem and jewel setting
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-03
2001-04-10
Echols, P. W. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Gem and jewel setting
C029S453000, C063S026000, C063S034000, C205S114000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212745
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the production of jewellery parts by electroforming and more particularly to the setting of precious, semiprecious or synthetic stones into the surface of a metallic jewel notably a gold one.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The electroforming production of jewellery parts such as, for example, Creoles, buckles of ears, pendants, cross, bracelets, necklaces, rings, signet rings, spits, etc . . . is well known.
It consists in reproducing an object electrolytically from an accurately designed model, with the location for stones that have to be embedded on the surface into seats provided for this purpose.
For example, classically, to realize a Creole, a bulky base made with a tin alloy having externally the forms and dimensions of the Creole desired to obtain, less the thickness of the gold layer that will be electro-deposited, is prepared. The base is then coated by electrodeposition of a very thin copper layer in order to separate the gold layer from that of tin, then of a gold layer that can vary between 120 and 450 micrometers according to the desired weight of the jewel.
The deposit process for gold proceeds in the following manner. On the copper layer and before installation of stones, a thin gold layer, for example, of about fifteen micrometers is deposited. The stones are then installed into receiving accommodations. A new gold layer is deposited, with a thickness ranging, for example, between 100 and 400 micrometers, followed by a protecting copper layer.
Then, the base made of tin is thermally extracted, and the copper removed by a chemical processing.
Thus, a hollow Creole with stones imprisoned into the surface is obtained, whose forms and reliefs are determined by those of the base that the gold has contoured by a thin layer deposit.
Due to the low thickness of the gold layer forming the wall of the Creole that varies between 120 and 450 micrometers, it is nearly impossible to install a stone by traditional setting due to the lack of material to do this operation.
Furthermore, one could intend to retain stones in place by the single gold layer deposited after installation of stones, but in order to obtain a solid setting it would be necessary to deposit a gold layer having too large a thickness, the face of stones that is oriented toward the interior of the accommodations not being subjected to a setting complementary to that of the visible face because the deposit bath cannot access said accommodations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention intends particularly to allow for the secure imprisonment of the stones and without substantial increase of the thickness and therefore of the wall weight of the jewel.
To this effect, the object of the invention is to provide a method for setting stones into the surface of a jewel produced by electroforming, in which a base having externally the forms and dimensions of the jewel desired to obtain less the thickness of the gold layer forming its wall and provided with accommodations for the reception of the stones is produced. On the base, before installation of the stones, a protecting layer, then a thin gold layer are deposited, stones are put in place into said accommodations, then a second thicker gold layer is deposited, and, finally, said base and said protecting layer are extracted or removed, characterized in that during the production of the base, at least one passage is provided in front of each accommodation, that is adapted to communicate, once the stone is in place, between the space between the latter and the bottom of its accommodation with the exterior, in order to allow the bath deposit of said second gold layer to access said space.
It is thus possible to produce a real setting of each stone in its accommodation. Indeed, on either side of the plane defined by the physical contact zone between the stone and its accommodation, that is as well as externally, on the visible face side of the stone, than the opposite side, that is the bottom of the receiving accommodation, the stone is closely imprisoned between two fronts of the second gold layer whose thickness, at least 120 micrometers, very appreciably greater than that of the first layer, ensures a secure retention, the wall of the jewel, including at the level of the accommodations of stones, having a uniform thickness conferring to the jewel a good mechanical strength.
The invention relates also to jewels obtained according to the method above.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4543803 (1985-10-01), Keyasko
patent: 3544429A1 (1987-06-01), None
patent: 0620987A1 (1994-10-01), None
patent: 2627512 (1989-08-01), None
patent: 2717051 (1995-09-01), None
Charrier Michel
Grellier Daniel
Manuel Christian
Pierre William
Echols P. W.
PGCM Conception, Societe Civile d'Inventeurs
Young & Thompson
LandOfFree
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