Component for jewellery and/or costume jewellery articles

Abstract

The present invention concerns a component for jewellery and / or costume jewellery articles, suited to be used for making chains, necklaces and bracelets, the article including a first annular element or link and a second annular element or link, the first and second elements or links being connected to each other in such a way as to form a chain portion, and wherein the second annular element or link is revolvingly fixed to the first element or link in a predetermined position. The invention also concerns an ornamental object, for example a necklace, a chain, a bracelet or a similar object.

Description

STATE OF THE ART[0001]The present invention concerns jewellery and / or costume jewellery articles. In particular, the present invention concerns jewellery and / or costume jewellery articles like for example chains, necklaces, bracelets, charms, pendants and the like. More particularly, the present invention proposes a solution concerning the production of a portion of a component for jewellery and / or costume jewellery articles like for example chains, necklaces, bracelets, and the like, said portion comprising at least two rings or links. In greater detail, the present invention concerns the way in which said at least two annular elements or links of a chain, bracelet, necklace and / or similar jewellery article are connected and / or constrained to each other. The present invention therefore concerns an interchangeable portion of a jewellery article like for example a chain, necklace, bracelet or the like, said portion comprising at least two annular elements or links properly connected ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]The present invention is based on the general consideration that the problems found in the art can be at least partially overcome by constraining at least two of the annular elements or links of a chain or bracelet in a predetermined position. In this way it will be possible to overcome the typical problem of chains, necklaces, bracelets or similar jewellery and / or costume jewellery articles known in the art, due to which it is difficult to plan with precision the final appearance of said articles as the annular elements by which they are constituted can assume any mutual position, in particular also undesired mutual positions. A further important consideration on which the present invention is based concerns the fact that the problems typical of necklaces, bracelets or in any case of jewellery and / or costume jewellery articles of this type known in the art can be at least partially overcome by mutually constraining the two consecutive annular elements or the two consecutive links in a predetermined position and in any case in such a way as to allow the at least partial mutual rotation of the two consecutive annular elements; in this way, in fact, a certain flexibility will be guaranteed, thus overcoming the problems deriving from excessive stiffness. Another consideration on which the present invention is based concerns the fact that it is possible to obtain clear advantages in terms of simplified assembly operations and reduced costs if at least one of the two consecutive annular elements is constructed so that it can be opened, in particular so that it comprises a movable locking device and that at least one of the two consecutive annular elements can be connected to a third annular element or link; in this way, in fact, it will be easy to produce jewellery articles like for example necklaces, bracelets or similar articles. Furthermore, in case of need it will be possible to modify the length of said chain or of said bracelet once again by means of simple operations characterized by reduced costs. In particular, it will be possible to avoid the need to cut or saw one of the two annular elements as well as the need to reconnect their two ends by means of complex operations like for example welding. On the contrary, it will be possible to simply open and close one of the two annular elements by proceeding almost in the same way as when putting on a chain or bracelet.

[0008]Therefore, the above clearly shows that the component for jewellery and / or costume jewellery articles carried out according to the present invention simplifies the assembly of chains, necklaces, bracelets and similar articles; for this purpose it will be simply necessary to have a number of components for jewellery and / or costume jewellery articles according to the present invention suited to make a chain or bracelet of the desired length, and to connect said components to one another by means of operations similar to those necessary to put on a chain or bracelet, that is, by simply opening the opening element of each portion of chain, inserting a third annular element (belonging to a consecutive article or chain portion) in the open element and then closing the opening element. In this way, furthermore, it will not be necessary to prepare further special connection and / or closing elements but the chain and / or the bracelet can be simply put on by connecting the two free ends with each other by means of one of its opening elements. Furthermore, since in the component for jewellery and / or costume jewellery articles constructed according to the present invention the two consecutive annular elements are at least partially rotating with relation to each other, it will be possible to give the chain, necklace or bracelet a certain degree of flexibility according to the most common needs of the users.

Problems solved by technology

It is known that the production of jewellery and / or costume jewellery articles like for example chains, necklaces, bracelets and the like has always represented a rather difficult task for jewellers.

It is therefore obvious that the final appearance desired cannot be independent of the reciprocal orientation assumed by the consecutive annular elements or links of a chain and therefore cannot be independent of the way in which said consecutive annular elements are connected to one another.

However, the possible solutions (the possible production steps) are in any case limited and strongly depend on the type of annular elements or links that the manufacturer intends to obtain and on the way in which they are connected to one another.

It should be noted, in any case, that notwithstanding the efforts and attempts made, the solutions proposed by the state of the art are seldom capable of meeting all the needs described above.

It has however been found that the solutions adopted are either difficult to implement (due to complicated procedures and high costs) or even such as to produce opposite and undesired results, like for example the loss of flexibility or in any case a stiffness that users do not like.

Even from an aesthetical point of view, the solutions proposed in the past were not very useful as it was difficult to “mask” the connection between two consecutive annular elements, so that the overall and final appearance of the jewellery and / or costume jewellery article was heavily affected by the presence of said joints.

The known solutions have proved unsatisfactory even as regards the possibility to modify (lengthen or shorten) a jewellery article; in fact, it has almost never been possible to avoid complex operations like the cutting and rewelding of a connection element or link.

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