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Patent Abstract
A main body 11 of jewelry 1 has inlaid portion of concaved shapes
sized to a decorating parts 12. Decorating parts 12 made of copper
alloy containing 6 to 15 weight percentage of copper and 94 to 85
weight percentage of gold. A main body 11 are composed of materials
commonly used in jewelry commonly such as gold alloy, silver, platinum
and the like.
Patent Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A jewelry comprising a main body having inlaid portion of concaved
shape and decorating part attached to said inlaid portion, wherein
said decorating part is composed of copper alloy which contains
6 to 15 weight percentage of copper and 94 to 85 weight percentage
of gold.
2. A jewelry as claimed in claim 1, wherein said jewelry are formed
in curbed surface at foresaid inlaying portion of foresaid decorating
part.
3. A jewelry as claimed in claim 1, wherein said jewelry is selected
from group of jewelry including rings, pendants, necklaces, earrings,
cuff buttons, brooches, tie tacks, bangles, buckles, chokers, bracelets,
watch band and glasses.
4. A method of manufacturing jewelry including steps of forming
a main body having inlaid portion of concaved shape, of forming
an decorating part into made of copper alloy containing 6 to 15
weight percentage of copper and 94 to 85 weight percentage of gold,
of applying flux joint surfaces main body and/or an decorating part,
of inserting said decorating part in said inlaid portion, of soldering
surfaces of border of main body and decorating parts.
6. A method of cleaning jewelry in claim 1, wherein polishing process
is applied on surface of decorating part after certain time of use.
Patent Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to jewelry and a method of
manufacturing jewelry, which is more particularly to jewelry made
of copper alloy.
[0002] Conventionally, copper alloy containing 0.5 through 5 weight
percentage of gold, so called, "Shakudo" is one of Japanese
traditional metals used for manufacturing "Katana no Tsuba"
which is Japanese sword guards and "Kanzashi" which is
Japanese style hairpins, and it has a beautiful light pink color
in original.
[0003] However, as conventional "Shakudo" contains copper
at a rate of 95 weight percentage or more, it is easily oxidized
and discolored after daily use, so it is rarely used as material
for manufacturing modern jewelry such as rings and pendants. Besides,
after conventional "Shakudo" is oxidized and turned in
black or dark purple, beauty of "Shakudo" is all lost
and is hardly recovered in original color because it is oxidized
up to the inside totally.
[0004] Moreover, "Shakudo" has a nature of softness and
stickiness compared to other Jewelry metals such as K14, K18 or
platinum and therefore it is also rarely used as a material to form
shape of jewelry solely because solidness is required for jewelry
of daily use. Consequently, when "Shakudo" is used for
modern jewelry manufacturing, it is common to be mixed with gold
alloy material 21 such as a ring 20 shown in FIG. 3. It was often
called "Mokume jewelry" by embodying a pattern of wood
grain 22 in the tarnished portion of "Shakudo".
[0005] Furthermore, "Shakudo" sometimes is used as a
decoration part of a flat shaped jewelry such as brooches, but it
also produces another problems. Because of nature difference of
materials, a so-called inlaying technique must be applied for manufacturing
such a jewelry. For example, a decorating part of "Shakudo"
is inserted into a concave inlaid portion formed in a main body
made of other materials such as gold alloy by pressing using a jewelry
tool such as a hammer and then polished very hard together. It is
not only difficult to inlay "Shakudo" securely in the
other material unless shape of jewelry is very flat, but also the
inlaid portion protrudes in long term use because of nature difference
of both metals.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The inventor of the present invention invented that it is
possible to keep "Shakudo" in a color of original beautiful
light pink if the copper alloy contains strikingly less copper than
the conventional "Shakudo", when it is polished after
it is oxidized and discolored dark. It also provides unique jewelry
by changing color form pink to dark brown under the oxidation is
proceeded.
[0007] It is also provides a method of manufacturing new type of
"Shakudo" jewelry, not only flat shape jewelry such as
brooches but also curved shaped jewelry such as rings, pendants,
earrings etc.
[0008] That is, the object of the present invention is to use copper
alloy which contains 6 to 15 weight percentage of copper and 94
to 85 weight percentage of gold, which is a light pink color in
original and a fancy chocolate color after oxidized, a light pink
color is recovered by cleaning process including washing and polishing
surface.
[0009] Further, another object of the present invention is to apply
flux before a decorating portion made of above-mentioned copper
alloy is inserted into inlaying part formed in main body made of
the other materials such as gold, silver, platinum. Therefore, the
decorating portion made of above-mentioned copper alloy can be inlaid
securely in the inlaying part formed in main body of jewelry, even
though main body of jewelry is formed in curved shape.
[0010] Therefore, jewelry of the present invention is consisted
a main body with inlaid portion and an decorating part made of copper
alloy which is inserted into foresaid inlaid portion, and copper
alloy which contains 6 to 15 weight percentage of copper and 94
to 85 weight percentage of gold.
[0011] With composition of copper alloy of the present invention,
jewelry has a beautiful light pink color which is original of copper
color, then jewelry is oxidized in only surface and very slowly
to dark color, which provides enjoyment of changing color of jewelry
from pink to chocolate.
[0012] Further, jewelry of the present invention is selected a
type of foresaid jewelry from a group of including rings, pendants,
necklaces, earrings, cuff buttons, brooches, tie tacks, bangles,
buckles, chokers, bracelets, watch band and glasses which are formed
in curved shape in some part of jewelry.
[0013] With type of jewelry of the present invention, any form
of jewelry can be provided using copper alloy which is changeable
color from light pink of original copper color to dark brown of
fancy chocolate as a unique decoration
[0014] Furthermore, A method of manufacturing jewelry of the present
invention is composed of forming a main body of jewelry having an
inlaid portion, forming a decorating part made of foresaid copper
alloy which is adjusted into foresaid inlaid portion, a flux is
applied joint surface of foresaid inlaid portion and/or surface
of decorating part, inserting a decorating part into foresaid inlaid
portion of main body by pressing, a main body of jewelry is heated
and soldering is applied.
[0015] With the method, flux which is applied between joint surface
of inlaid portion and decorating part is evaporated spontaneously
from heating generated when soldering after decorating part is inserted.
Therefore, the evaporated flux forms a slight gap (space) between
inlaid portion and decorating part, the solder flows naturally into
the gap (space), so that decorating part made of copper alloy is
attached main body securely and which also made a possible to form
copper alloy jewelry having curved shape.
[0016] Still further, jewelry of the present invention is characterized
that cleaning process is applied to the surface of foresaid decorating
part of copper alloy after color is changed to dark brown by oxidization
in a certain time of use, and finishing process includes washing
and polishing at least.
[0017] With the process, chocolate color of oxidized copper alloy
is recovered easily to light pink original copper color and users
of present invention jewelry enjoys the change of color of copper.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing jewelry relating to the preferred
embodiment of the present invention,
[0019] FIGS. 2 (a) through (d) are drawings illustrating the method
of manufacturing jewelry relating to the preferred embodiment of
the present invention, and
[0020] FIG. 3 is a drawing showing conventional jewelry using "Shakudo".
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] Referring now to the drawings, preferred embodiments of
the present invention are described more particularly. Incidentally,
in the description, a ring represents A jewelry of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing jewelry relating to the preferred
embodiment of the present invention. Jewelry 1 has a main body 11
formed as a flat ring shape. Main body 11 has an inlaid portion
(not shown in the drawing) which is capable of receiving a decorating
part. As shown in FIG. 1, two decorating parts 12 are already installed
in the inlaid portion.
[0023] Main body 11 can be made of any materials which are common
in manufacturing jewelry, such as K12, K14, K18 gold alloy, silver
and platinum alloy. Additionally, Main body 11 has a concave inlaid
portion (not shown in the drawing) sized adjust to the decorating
parts 12. Main body 11 is formed by common manufacturing method
of manufacturing jewelry such as lost wax casting, press cutting,
and hand making.
[0024] The decorating part 12 is installed in the inlaid portion
of main body 11 by inlaying technique (so-called "Zogangihou"),
that is composed of copper alloy contains 6 to 15 weight percentage
of copper and 94 to 85 weight percentage of gold. The decorating
part 12 has a light pink color initially and the copper alloy is
only oxidized on it's surface very slowly, because the copper alloy
contains much more gold (less copper) than the conventional "Shakudo".
[0025] Therefore, the decorating part 12 can recover the original
light pink color by cleaning when the surface is turned to dark
brown. Conventional metal forming method can be applied to form
the decorating part 12, for example, an ingot of the copper alloy
is adjusted to a preferable thickness by roller and the plate of
copper alloy is formed to a preferable shape by press cutting or
hand.
[0026] The main body 11 also has decorating surface 13 which adds
another decoration of jewelry 1. The decorating surface 13 is not
essential for jewelry 1 and it's formed in many conventional jewelry
manufacturing technique such as engraving, enameling, matte finishing
or many small diamonds setting.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a method of manufacturing a jewelry relating
of the present invention. FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are sectional views
in the event of inlaying a decorating part 12 to main body 11. FIG.
2 (c) is a top vie of FIG. 2 (b) from a direction of C for showing
a method of placing solder on the border between decorating part
12 and main body 11 on the surface of main body 11. And FIG. 2 (d)
shows the condition that the solder flowed inward and reached into
the joint surface of decorating part 12 and main body 11.
[0028] For the first step of the method of manufacturing a jewelry,
a few of inlaid portions of concave shape are formed in main body
11 by foresaid manufacturing method which are adjusted to the shape
of decorating part 12. Also, a few of decorating parts 12 are obtained
by foresaid manufacturing method, which are composed of copper alloy
contains 6 to 15 weight percentage of copper and 94 to 85 weight
percentage of gold.
[0029] For the next step, each of decorating parts 12 are inserted
into each of inlaid portions 14 formed in main body 11 as shown
in FIG. 2 (a).
[0030] In this step, flux 15 are pre-applied joint surfaces of
the inlaid portions 14 and/or the decorating part 12. Flux 15 are
preferably liquid type but not limited to special type of flux.
[0031] For inserting the decorating part 12 into the inlaid portions
14, jewelry making tool such as hammer are used, the decorating
part 12 are pushed very hard to the direction of an arrow B. Consequently,
flux 15 applied on the joint surface are sandwiched between the
decorating part 12 and the inlaid portions 14.
[0032] For the third step, each joint surfaces between the decorating
part 12 and the main body 11 are soldered. As shown in FIG. 2 (c),
solders 16 are placed in parallel on the surface of the border of
the main body 11 and the decorating part 12, then a main body 11
is heated using jewelry making tool such as a burner. Solder 16
has no limit to any special type.
[0033] When main body 11 are heated by a burner, the flux 15 applied
to the joint surfaces are evaporated. Consequently, a slight gap
are emerged at the foresaid joint surfaces and melted solder 16
flows into the gap spontaneously with the help of so called the
interfacial effect of the flux. Therefore, even though the decorating
part 12 and the main body 11 are formed to the curbed shape, the
decorating parts 12 are securely installed in the main body 11 and
are prevented from protrusion for long time daily use.
[0034] For further step of the present invention, that is the method
of recovering the original light pink color. Cleaning treatment
can be applied to jewelry 1 of this invention and the decorating
part 12 turned dark brown by oxidization is recovered it's original
light pink color by this process.
[0035] The cleaning method of jewelry 1 is consisted, for example
of, acid washing, ion washing, rubber polishing, knife polishing,
charcoal rubbing, buffing etc, the cleaning method can be applied
repeatedly for darken decorating part 12 after long time daily use.
[0036] By applying foresaid polishing processes, the decorating
part 12 is recovered it's original light pink color of the copper
alloy, because only the surface is oxidized in jewelry 1, and the
cleaning process can be applied repeatedly after the surfaces of
the decorating part 12 turns dark brown.
[0037] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned
embodiments. For example, only a flat type of ring is described
above but any type and any form of jewelry such as tiffany type
of ring, pendants, necklaces, earrings, cuff buttons, brooches,
tie tacks, bangles, buckles, chokers, bracelets, watch band, glasses
and the like can be presented by this invention naturally.
[0038] Further, materials of main body of jewelry is not to foresaid
embodiments. For example, not only gold alloy is used for main body
of jewelry, but any type of material is used as long as it bears
for soldering. |