US20180192749A1

US20180192749A1 - Process to adorn or enhance bijouterie

Info

Publication number: US20180192749A1
Application number: US15/864,223
Authority: US
Inventors: Francois-Xavier Renou
Original assignee: Kmo Usa dba Kmo Paris LLC
Current assignee: Kmo Usa dba Kmo Paris LLC
Priority date: 2017-01-09
Filing date: 2018-01-08
Publication date: 2018-07-12

Abstract

The invention relates to an ornamental object for creating a gloss surface at a lower cost by using metal powders and/or low-gloss minerals amalgamated with particles of plastic, such as polyester or polyvinyl chloride.

Description

This non-provisional application claims priority over and the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 62/443,873 filed on Jan. 9, 2017, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to an ornamental object for creating a gloss surface at a lower cost by using metal powders and/or low-gloss minerals amalgamated with particles of plastic, such as polyester or polyvinyl chloride.
Many jewels using stones or glass of different shapes and sizes for ornamentation and embellishment are known in jewelry-making. These various ornaments referred to as stones for minerals or rhinestones for glass are used in jewelry for their beauty, their rarity, but especially for their glitter. The most well-known system for optimizing the brilliance of a piece of jewelry consists in “pave-setting” several small cut stones next to one another in order to create a large brilliant surface. This stone-setting and cutting step is dependent on time and a very specific technique requiring time and effort, and hence a cost.
This brilliance produced by natural or synthetic pave-set stones has, furthermore, been addressed by various inventions seeking to optimize brilliance.
Small stones cut in a special way been realized and fitted into one another to obtain a surface of a perfect brilliance and color without a noticeable metal, i.e., the “invisible set” technique.
The present invention will enable the production of a gloss surface at a lower cost due to simple powders or fragments of metals and/or minerals associated with particles or spangles of plastics, such as polyester or polyvinyl chloride. In contrast with the prior art which provided only for decorating stones present on jewels by gluing the ornaments directly on their surface of the stone itself, the presently claimed invention provides for a new process to obtain decorations or ornaments on the entire jewel.
The cost-efficiency of the present invention over the other currently used technique will be realized not only due to considerable time-savings, but also by using, instead small cut stones, a simple powder, flakes or spangles of metals and/or minerals that will be amalgamated on their surface by 25-50% with particles or spangles of a plastic, such as polyester or polyvinyl chloride.
The invention will likewise be useful for recycling mineral fragments or waste currently not recovered.
A solid fragment of the earth's or lunar crust is termed a mineral/metal. In any case, the mineral/metal must be of a natural origin, even though the invention also applies to glass. The majority of gems or so-called precious or fine stones belong to the mineral kingdom.
As for metals, the present invention will mainly use precious metals, such as silver, gold or platinum, or metal alloys, such as bronze, brass, or metals, e.g., copper. As for minerals, any type of mineral will be used depending on the desired color or cost, e.g., diamond, lapiz lazuli, ruby, sapphire, among others.
The present invention is thus characterized in that low-gloss powders or fragments, e.g., powders of minerals or metals, are amalgamated by 25 to 50% on their surface with particles/powders or spangles of a plastic, such as polyester or polyvinyl chloride, whereby this amalgam, once ready, will be repeated and then deposited and fastened in turn in a cavity preferably designed especially for this purpose in order to create a gloss [brilliant] surface at a lower cost. The reaction occurs at room temperature, between about 18° C. to about 25° C. The preferred temperature is 23° C. A typical process comprises mixing 2 g of [a] precious metal or mineral with 4 g of [a] plastic and mix[ing] the resulting composition with 6 g of epoxide for 30″ in order to obtain the amalgam. It should be noted that when temperatures lower than about 18° C. are used, the amalgam has a consistency [that is] almost liquid, while at temperatures higher than 25° C., the amalgam become too hard, too fast. Moreover, with the presently claimed method, it is possible to fill up to 50 cavity [cavities?] in approximately 3 minutes.
According to an important feature of the invention, the plastic elements will be amalgamated with metals and/or minerals using different types of glues or resin and subject to the optimal tolerance and resistance of the mineral and/or metal. A durable, translucent, two-component epoxy-type binder will preferably be used to position and then fasten the amalgam in a cavity designed for this purpose.
The utilized plastic powders will have a high brilliance and reflectivity, it is due to this plastic that the brilliance is obtained, in that the utilized mineral or metal powders will have a low reflectivity, as these powders will not be worked, so as to avoid additional costs, instead, generally recovered powders or flakes of a very low gloss will be used.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide for a method to adorn or enhance jewels, said method comprising preparing a composition of metals' or minerals' powders and a plastic; and adding said composition to one or more cavity present on the surface of the jewels to be adorned or enhanced.
The metals or minerals of the present invention are selected from the group consisting of diamond, corundum, quartz, glass, silver, gold, platinum, copper and brass.
The preferred plastics are polyester or polyvinyl chloride.
In one of the preferred embodiment, the minerals or the metals are adhered to the plastic with the aid of a glue.
In another preferred embodiment, the glue is an epoxide.

The invention will be better understood, and its other aims, features, details and advantages will become clearer from the following explanatory description with reference to the attached schematic drawings provided solely by way of example and illustrating an embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top and a side view of a fragment of mineral, such as corundum or ruby.

FIG. 2 shows a plastic element with high-gloss reflectivity.

FIG. 3 shows the mineral of FIG. 1 with the plastic particle fastened on the said mineral of FIG. 1 by 40%.

FIG. 4 shows the cavity commonly produced in jewelry-making for receiving stones, but which in the present invention will be ready to receive the amalgam of FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 shows an amalgam of mineral 3.

FIG. 6 shows the cavity commonly produced in jewelry-making, once the amalgam (5) is placed therein.

FIG. 7 shows a pendant-type piece of jewelry with cavities (4).

FIG. 8 shows the pendant-type piece of jewelry (7) with cavities (4) and the amalgam (5) deposited therein.

The drawings show a rounded pendant as an application of the present invention, however, the invention is applicable to other sizes and shapes, as well.
The mineral and/or metal to be adorned will be of a natural and/or organic origin; however, the invention may also be applied on synthetic stones, such as zircon, and also glass.
According to the invention, low-gloss powders or fragments (1), e.g., powders of minerals or metals, are amalgamated by 25 to 50% on their surface with particles/powders or spangles (2) of a plastic, such as polyester or polyvinyl chloride, whereby this amalgam (3), once ready, will be repeated (5) and then deposited and fastened in turn in a cavity 4, preferably designed especially for this purpose in order to create a gloss surface at a lower cost thereby replacing the small cut stones that are frequently used in jewelry-making.
The material of the powders or flakes (1) will be selected according to the preferred color, and more particularly, according to the value preferably added to the jewel to be adorned (7), as well.
The powders or flakes (1) will generally be of a tiny volume and may or may not be of various shapes and sizes, the key being that they have low reflectivity and thus a lower cost, as these will be recovered or recycled powders or metals. On their surface, a particle or spangle 2 of a plastic, such as polyester or polyvinyl chloride, will be fastened with a translucent epoxy-type binder, or any suitable adhesive or resin, such as silicone, UV, neoprene, alcohol, etc., and depending on the tolerance and the appropriate resistance to the metal/mineral (1). Indeed, for metals/minerals (1) whose surface is rather porous and organic like amber, it is preferable to use resins that are highly resistant to (2) epoxy-type components. For minerals (1), whose surface will be quite flat and of a relatively high hardness, such as amethyst or rock crystal, a UV-type glue will be more appropriate.
The percentage of the surface to be covered with particles (2) on the metal/mineral (1) will be defined according to the needs of the desired aesthetic or the value preferably added. A ratio of 50% will generally be applied on fragments or flakes of unusable minerals as ornament on a jewel, but may be recycled and used thanks to the present invention.
Indeed, it will be of commercial interest to be able to recover fragments of noble minerals, such as amethyst or citrine, or even flakes of diamonds that have lost their luster and thus give them a second luster, thanks to the present invention.
A small percentage of the surface ranging from 25% to 35% will generally be applied on a mineral having a more homogeneous form. In fact, key is that powders or fragments of metals or minerals (1) with low brilliance and reflectivity be amalgamated on particles or spangles (2) of plastic, such as polyester or polyvinyl chloride (2) using various suitable glues on the surface of the metal or mineral in order to obtain the metal or mineral (3), thus repeating the operation depending on the size of the cavity (4) to be adorned, the amalgam (5) will thus be placed in the cavity (4), and the combination will create a glossy surface at a lower cost, saving between 100 and 500% in time and effort, thanks to the present invention compared with the traditional setting or gluing technique
Thus, although the powders (1) are shown in rounded shapes, they could be in any other form and consisting of several different minerals and/or metals.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described in detail, since it allows for various modifications and improvements.

Claims

1. An ornamental object comprising a metallic or mineral element, upon which a first ornamental particle is adhesively fastened, wherein said metal or mineral element is in the form of fragment with low reflectivity, and said first ornamental particle is made of a plastic, such as polyester or polyvinyl chloride.

2. An ornamental object comprising a metal or mineral element, upon which a second ornamental particle is adhesively fastened, wherein said mineral or metal element consists of low-gloss materials on the one hand, and said first ornamental particle has high-gloss characteristics, which, once amalgamated and repeated, will be deposited in a cavity.

3. An ornamental object according to claim 1 wherein said mineral or metal element is made of a material selected from diamond, corundum, quartz, glass, for its mineral, and silver, gold, platinum, copper, brass for its metal element.

4. An ornamental object according to claim 1 wherein said ornamental particle is plastic selected from polyester or polyvinyl chloride.

5. An ornamental object according to claim 1 wherein said first ornamental particle adheres to the mineral element or metal by means of a glue.

6. An ornamental object according to claim 1 wherein said mineral element or metal is a simple low-gloss fragment.

7. An ornamental object according to claim 1 wherein said first ornamental particle has a very high reflectivity.

8. An ornamental object according to claim 1 wherein said ornamental particle is distributed on the surface of said metal or mineral by 25 to 50%.

9. A method to adorn or enhance bijouteries, said method comprising:

preparing a composition comprising metals' or minerals' powders; and

a plastic material; and

adding said composition to one or more cavity on said bijouteries.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said metals or minerals are selected from the group consisting of diamond, corundum, quartz, glass, silver, gold, platinum, copper and brass.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein said plastic material comprises polyester or Polyvinyl Chloride.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein said powders adhere to said plastic material with the aid of a glue.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said glue is an epoxide.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the plastic material is added on the surfact of said minerals' or metal's powders in a ratio of approximately 25 to 50%.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein said preparing step is carried out between about 18° C. to about 25° C. for 30″.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein said preparing step is carried out at 23° C. for 30″.