GB2122069A

GB2122069A - Pendant

Info

Publication number: GB2122069A
Application number: GB08217768A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jean Francois Egersperger
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-06-18
Filing date: 1982-06-18
Publication date: 1984-01-11

Abstract

A gold pendant or similar article of jewellery is produced by forming a fingerprint in a wax block; the wax block is then used to produce a mould into which molten gold can be introduced.

Description

SPECIFICATION Articles of jewellery This invention relates to jewellery and particularly to methods of manufacturing articles of jewellery.

There is a general desire to own articles or pieces of jewellery which are unique and, with jewellery of high value, this desire is satisfied by the design and manufacture of individual pieces by skilled craftsmen. With jewellery of moderate vaiue, the costs of individual design become too great and the necessary price levels can only be maintained by the production of a large number of identical pieces to a common design.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method of manufacturing, at reasonable cost, articles of jewellery which are unique.

Accordingly, the present invention consists in a method of manufacturing an article of jewellery, comprising the steps of forming an imprint of a finger in a body of impressible material; producing from said imprint a mould with a mould cavity the surface of which includes a replica of said imprint; introducing molten metal into the mould and finishing the cooled metal piece.

Preferably, the step of forming an imprint comprises pressing the finger into a block of wax.

By employing a method according to this invention a gold pendant, for example, can be produced which bears the fingerprint of the owner.

It is felt that such an article will have appeal not simply because the design is visually interesting and attractive but also because the article is necessarily unique. Nonetheless, different articles produced from this invention will be recognisable as sharing a distinctive "fingerprint" feature and this may be important in fashion terms.

The method according to this invention has one further important advantage. The ownership of every article of jewellery made according to the present invention can be established beyond doubt from the fingerprint and it is considered that for this reason the articles are unlikely to be attractive to thieves.

It is envisaged that the method according to this invention will with advantage be divided into two stages, these being the taking of a fingerprint impression and the preparation and subsequent casting of a mould. Taking a fingerprint impression in accordance with the invention will require no particular skill and may be performed by the person commissioning the jewellery piece. The block of wax or other body of impressible material bearing the imprint will be easily transportable by post if necessary - from the location where the fingerprint impression is made to the place of final manufacture. It is thus unnecessary for the individual to visit the place of final manufacture and it becomes feasible to manufacture the articles in response to postal enquiries.

In one example of a method according to this invention, an imprint is formed by pressing the finger or thumb of the individual concerned into a block of wax having the external shape of a pendant. This shape may be generally round, rectangular or of any other desired form. After transporting the wax block, if necessary, to the place of jewellery manufacture, it is placed in a vessel containing a liquid cement which has the property of setting to a hard, temperature resistant solid. When the cement has cured or set, it is placed in an oven to cause the wax to melt and drain away. In this way, there is produced a mould of solid cement which has a mould cavity defined by the shape of the wax block and, in particular, including as part of its surface a replica of the fingerprint.It should be noted here that no distinction is drawn between the "negative" imprint formed in the wax and the "positive" imprint which is formed in the cement since the visual differences between the two are minor.

Molten gold may be poured into the mould cavity in the cement mould to produce, on cooling, a gold pendant which will then undergo cleaning, polishing and other finishing processes.

It will be apparent to the man skilled in the art that this described method can be varied in a number of ways without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the wax block which is used to take the fingerprint impression need not necessarily be in the form of the pendant; it could be shaped after the impression has been taken or, as a further alternative, could be used to define part only of the mould cavity. With the latter alternative, the wax block can be combined with a suitably shaped member before introduction into the vessel containing liquid cement. In other methods according to this invention, the mould cavity will be formed by means other than casting in liquid cement. Similarly, the wax block could be replaced by another body of impressible material.

Whilst the above description has been confined to gold pendants, this invention is applicable to articles of jewellery in other forms and of other metals. The term "jewellery" as used herein is intended to include article serving a functional purpose such as cuff-links and tie studs. In such cases, and possibly in other cases, the gold or other metal piece which is cast and which bears the fingerprint design will form part only of the finished article.

1. A method of manufacturing an article of jewellery, comprising the steps of forming an imprint of a finger in a body of impressible material; producing from said imprint a mould with a mould cavity the surface of which includes a replica of said imprint; introducing moiten metal into the mould and finishing the cooled metal piece.

2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the step of forming an imprint comprises pressing of the finger into a block of wax.

3. A method according to Claim 2, wherein said wax block takes the form of the article to be manufactured.

4. A method according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein the step of producing a mould comprises

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Articles of jewellery This invention relates to jewellery and particularly to methods of manufacturing articles of jewellery. There is a general desire to own articles or pieces of jewellery which are unique and, with jewellery of high value, this desire is satisfied by the design and manufacture of individual pieces by skilled craftsmen. With jewellery of moderate vaiue, the costs of individual design become too great and the necessary price levels can only be maintained by the production of a large number of identical pieces to a common design. It is an object of this invention to provide a method of manufacturing, at reasonable cost, articles of jewellery which are unique. Accordingly, the present invention consists in a method of manufacturing an article of jewellery, comprising the steps of forming an imprint of a finger in a body of impressible material; producing from said imprint a mould with a mould cavity the surface of which includes a replica of said imprint; introducing molten metal into the mould and finishing the cooled metal piece. Preferably, the step of forming an imprint comprises pressing the finger into a block of wax. By employing a method according to this invention a gold pendant, for example, can be produced which bears the fingerprint of the owner. It is felt that such an article will have appeal not simply because the design is visually interesting and attractive but also because the article is necessarily unique. Nonetheless, different articles produced from this invention will be recognisable as sharing a distinctive "fingerprint" feature and this may be important in fashion terms. The method according to this invention has one further important advantage. The ownership of every article of jewellery made according to the present invention can be established beyond doubt from the fingerprint and it is considered that for this reason the articles are unlikely to be attractive to thieves. It is envisaged that the method according to this invention will with advantage be divided into two stages, these being the taking of a fingerprint impression and the preparation and subsequent casting of a mould. Taking a fingerprint impression in accordance with the invention will require no particular skill and may be performed by the person commissioning the jewellery piece. The block of wax or other body of impressible material bearing the imprint will be easily transportable by post if necessary - from the location where the fingerprint impression is made to the place of final manufacture. It is thus unnecessary for the individual to visit the place of final manufacture and it becomes feasible to manufacture the articles in response to postal enquiries. In one example of a method according to this invention, an imprint is formed by pressing the finger or thumb of the individual concerned into a block of wax having the external shape of a pendant. This shape may be generally round, rectangular or of any other desired form. After transporting the wax block, if necessary, to the place of jewellery manufacture, it is placed in a vessel containing a liquid cement which has the property of setting to a hard, temperature resistant solid. When the cement has cured or set, it is placed in an oven to cause the wax to melt and drain away. In this way, there is produced a mould of solid cement which has a mould cavity defined by the shape of the wax block and, in particular, including as part of its surface a replica of the fingerprint.It should be noted here that no distinction is drawn between the "negative" imprint formed in the wax and the "positive" imprint which is formed in the cement since the visual differences between the two are minor. Molten gold may be poured into the mould cavity in the cement mould to produce, on cooling, a gold pendant which will then undergo cleaning, polishing and other finishing processes. It will be apparent to the man skilled in the art that this described method can be varied in a number of ways without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the wax block which is used to take the fingerprint impression need not necessarily be in the form of the pendant; it could be shaped after the impression has been taken or, as a further alternative, could be used to define part only of the mould cavity. With the latter alternative, the wax block can be combined with a suitably shaped member before introduction into the vessel containing liquid cement. In other methods according to this invention, the mould cavity will be formed by means other than casting in liquid cement. Similarly, the wax block could be replaced by another body of impressible material. Whilst the above description has been confined to gold pendants, this invention is applicable to articles of jewellery in other forms and of other metals. The term "jewellery" as used herein is intended to include article serving a functional purpose such as cuff-links and tie studs. In such cases, and possibly in other cases, the gold or other metal piece which is cast and which bears the fingerprint design will form part only of the finished article. CLAIMS

4. A method according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein the step of producing a mould comprises placing the wax block in a vessel containing a low temperature setting substance in liquid form and heating the substance after setting to melt and remove the wax.

5. A method of manufacturing an article of jewellery substantially as hereinbefore described.

6. An article of jewellery manufactured in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.