OF REALIZATION THEREOF

Technical field The present invention relates to an item of jewelry and costume jewelry, to its realization method and to a specific machine for the implementation of this article of jewelry and costume jewelry.

Background Art

There are commercially available items of jewelry (or silver) and costume jewelry that have at least one portion perforated with the purpose of being ornamental and decorative elements.

With reference to Figure 2A, the article of jewelry, costume jewelry 101 in question presents an elongated tubular body 102 that develops in a continuous manner around an arc with center C and the section of which, substantially normal to the direction of development, defines a thickness 103. On this thickness is defined a pattern 104 consisting of alternating full and empty parts.

This type of jewelry is made by electro-fusion, a manufacturing process notoriously laborious and that requires sophisticated equipment. In the electro-fusion process, two (or more) elements to be joined are melted by means of a heating cable permanently inserted into a fitting. The cable is heated by the application of electricity at low voltage and in this way the surrounding material is melted and expands. The heat is transferred to the elements to be joined that blend in the welding area, causing an expansion of the material. The expansion is delayed by the lowest temperature parts that are far away from the welding area and this causes the formation of a sealing press.ur.e.be.tw-e.enjhe two elements, guaranteeing a homogeneous cohesion.

The electro-fused jewel, that is obtained by the method mentioned above, presents different problems.

First, the thickness of the electro-fused items may not be less than mm. 0.20, with immediate consequences on the final weight of the item that, in the case of precious metals, has a strong influence on the price. This is primarily due to the fact that this type of jewelry is the result of several parts welded together, and - inevitably - having the appropriate thickness to allow electro-fusion welding. Secondly, given that the electro-fusion requires the use of special alloys which cannot be hardened, thicknesses used to realize the jewel must be such as to support its own weight. Besides that, the electro-fusion, by its nature, produces parts which have porous surfaces that are difficult to polish perfectly even after the finishing of the jewel.

Disclosure of the Invention The aim of the invention is to eliminate the drawbacks noted above in known types of articles of gold jewelry and costume jewelry, that allows to produce jewelry with ornamental perforated patterns also of very thin thickness, less than 0.20 mm.

Within the aforementioned aim, a purpose of the present invention is to produce jewelry that present better finishing than those produced by electro- fusion, a better brightness and brilliance, in order to ensure the widest range of embodiments.

Another object of the invention is to provide an article of jewelry and costume jewelry with ornamental perforated patterns using a process less laborious than electro-fusion and avoiding the use of expensive equipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide an article of jewelry, silver and costume jewelry by means readily available in commerce and using materials of common use, so that the device is economically competitive. This aim, these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by the article of jewelry and costume jewelry, according to the invention, comprising:

- a single elongated tubular body which is developing in a continuous manner along a direction of development, around an arc with center C and the section of which, substantially normal to said direction of development, defines an outside thickness and an internal thickness with respect to the center C,

- at least a first perforated element and at least a second perforated element respectively defined on said outer thickness and said internal thickness, so that plane developments of said at least one first perforated element and said at least one second perforated element are substantially overlapping.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the article of jewelry and costume jewelry, illustrated by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows the item of jewelry and costume jewelry in a perspective view;

Figures 2A and 2B show the sections substantially normal with respect to their development directions, respectively of the prior art article of jewelry and costume jewelry and of that of the present invention; Figure 3 is the laser cutting machine with piece holder spindle; Figure 4 shows the pair of elliptical gears;

Figure 5 represents the locking support for the production of the article of jewelry and costume jewelry, according to the invention. Modes for carrying out the Invention

With reference to the above figures, the article of jewelry and costume jewelry, according to the invention, which is identified in its entirety with the reference 1, has the fundamental characteristic of comprising:

- a single elongated tubular body 2 which is developing in a continuous manner along a direction of development 10, around an arc with center C and the section of which, substantially normal to said direction of development (10), defines an outside thickness 3 and an internal thickness 5 with respect to the center C,

- at least a first perforated element 4 and at least a second perforated element 6 respectively defined on said outer thickness 3 and internal thickness 5, so that plane developments of said two perforated element are substantially overlapping between them.

Preferably, the tubular body 2 is made of metal, for example an alloy of gold or silver. As it is already at the state of the art, to create an elongated tubular body 2 it is possible to use the cold shaping of a laminated tape having a certain thickness. The tape, which is folded on itself by coiling around a support tube, is closed along the edges by electric welding. Obviously, closing means 9, per se already known, may be provided for, to put on the item around the neck, wrist or ankle of the user.

The process for making such an article of jewelry or costume jewelry, consists of the following steps:

- bending an elongated tubular body 2 having a first thickness and a second thickness 3 e 5, so that it develops in a continuous manner around an arc with center C,

- positioning the elongated tubular body 2 on supporting means connected to a work table 23 of a laser cutting machine 21, for cutting articles with curve surfaces, - performing a laser cut simultaneously on said first thickness and on said second thickness 3 e 5, to define at least a first perforated element 4 and at least a second perforated element 6, respectively on said first thickness and on said second thickness 3 e 5.

In order to create the elongated tubular body 2 it is possible to use the cold shaping of a laminated tape with electric welding of the two edges, process per se known. Another method of production of the elongate tubular body is the emptying process, which is also known.

To bend the tube 2, it is placed on the spines of a winder. Alternatively, for certain types of pieces, special small molds or individual bents are used. With reference to Figure 2B, each section of the so created tubular element 2 will present a first thickness 3 and a second thickness 5, respectively internal and external to the center C.

Preferably, before laser cutting the tubular element 2 it is provided a preparation phase which consists in: - processing surfaces to be treated with chemical finishing, also known as "bombing",

- degreasing the so ended tubular body 2 in woods,

- cleaning by hand the degreased tubular 2.

Depending on the need, the piece can also be put in ultrasonic means and in drying means.

Preferably, after the laser cutting, it is provided a finishing step which consists in:

- bleaching the tubular body 2, - cleaning up the tubular body 2 by hand,

- washing and drying the tubular body 2.

Preferably, supporting means are adjustable by movement means, which can be programmed by an electronic computer connected to the laser cutting machine 21.

With reference to Figure 3, supporting means comprise a piece holder spindle 7 removably associated with the work table 23, to cut the surfaces presenting a circular section substantially normal to the direction of development 10.

Advantageously, it is provided to position the elongated tubular body 2 on an elliptical support 27 which is arranged to rotate about an axis of rotation 20 defined by a pin 28 connected to the machine 21 and engages with an elliptical wheel 29, in turn associated with the spindle 7, to cut particular pieces that have curved surfaces of the parabolic, elliptical, oval type etc. . , namely for cutting curved surfaces in which each point is at a different distance from fires compared to the other points of the same surface.

The use of the elliptical support 27 is necessary because the laser intensity is defined and estimated according to the distance of the object to be cut, so that surfaces at a greater or lesser distance than the predetermined one can give problems of different nature. That is to say that at a distance greater than the predetermined one the laser burns but does not cut the item, while at distances less than the predetermined one the intensity is too strong and there is a risk of breakage of the jewel.

In some cases, for example for bulky pieces or pieces that require complicated cuts, it is possible to position the tubular body 2 on a removably locking support 8 associated with the piece holder spindle 7.

In particular, it is expected to removably attach the base 11 of the locking support 8 to the work table 23, to insert the elongated tubular body 2 within a housing 13 defined on the base 11, to close a holder piece lid 12 connected to the base 11 by means of a hinge 15, so that the elongated tubular body 2 slips into a coupling slot 14 defined in the holder piece lid 12.

The laser cutting machine 21, to achieve an article of jewelry and costume jewelry 1, comprises a working head 22 and supporting means for an elongated tubular body 2 to be machined, connected to a work table 23.

This machine 21 has the peculiar characteristic that the supporting means comprise a holder piece spindle 7 for cutting the curved surfaces of the tubular body 2. The spindle 7 is removably associated with the work table 23.

Advantageously, the machine 21 has a pair of gears for cutting parabolic, elliptical, oval and the like surfaces of the body 2, associable to the holder piece spindle 7 by connection means, such as screws agent on suitable supports 17 associated with the spindle 7. This pair of gears comprises an elliptical support 27 having fastening means of the body 2 to a wall thereof, such as retaining bands 25 arranged to rotate around an axis of rotation 20 defined by a pin 28 connected to the machine 21 and of engagement with an elliptical wheel 29 which is arranged to rotate around its own axis integrally with the spindle 7. As said, the elliptical support 27 must be used because, once fixed the laser intensity in function of the distance of the object to be cut, there is the risk of burning or breaking the body 2 when this has curved surfaces at a variable distance from the laser pointer 24 .

Preferably, the elliptical support 27 and the wheel ^~ 29 have elliptical teeth of mutual engagement with a variable gear ratio depending on the article 1 to be realized.

The transmission ratio can be varied by changing the size or the number of teeth.

Advantageously, there is provided a locking support 8 removably attachable to the holder piece spindle 7 (fig. 5), such as screws that fix the wings 18, projecting from the support itself, with supports 17 associated with the spindle 7.

Preferably, such support 8 includes a base 11 removably attachable to the table 23 and a holder piece lid 12 to be coupled to one another. The base 11 has a housing 13 for the elongated tubular body 2 and the lid 12 comprises a slot 14 for coupling with the tubular body 2.

In the preferred embodiment here described, the support 8 includes a hinge 15 to close the lid 12 on the base 11, so that to position the piece on said support, the operator first inserts a portion of the tubular element (which of course must not be laser machined inside the seat 13) and then closes the lid 12 acting on the hinge 15 so as to ensure stability to the piece to be worked.

With reference to Figure 5, the hinge 15 comprises a pivot 16, integral with said base 11, for the pivoting of the lid 12. From the above description it is thus evident that the invention achieves the proposed aim and objects and in particular it is underlined the fact that is made a jewelry and costume jewelry article, which makes possible the production of pieces presenting ornamental perforated patterns and of very thin thicknesses, on average between about 0.08 and 0.12 mm., much lower than those normally allowed by electro-fusion (0.20 mm.).

The realization of the double cut, associated to the fact of using a tube with very thin walls, allows the marketing of extremely light pieces and therefore relatively inexpensive. Another advantage of the jewelry and costume jewelry article, according to the invention, is that jewelry products realized with said laser cutting have a very high quality finishing and are brighter than the electro-fused products.

Another advantage of the invention is the fact that for the creation of this article of jewelry and costume jewelry, in contrast to what was seen for the electro-fused pieces, it is possible to use a gold alloy arranged to be hardened and therefore, for the same section, it will be much more durable.

Another advantage of the invention is that the employed procedure, by the laser cutting, is extremely more simple and fast than electro-fusion, without needing expensive machinery that require numerous accessories.

In particular the realization of the holder-piece spindle, which is eventually provided of elliptical gears to create oval, elliptical or parabolic pieces, allows the cutting of any curved surfaces. In addition, thanks to the locking support, mountable on the spindle, it is possible to work pieces of any shape and size, is allowed the realization of any design, and the machine is so accessible also to less experienced operators who can make the cut in safe and accuracy.

Furthermore, advantage of the invention is to provide an article of jewelry, silver and costume jewelry very competitive due to the use of means readily available on the market and the use of common materials, without the need of skilled workers. Finally, the use of means readily available in the market and use of common materials, make the device economically competitive .

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all within the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, all the details may be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements, provided they are consistent with the realization purpose.