Generally, this disclosure enables various earrings and methods of manufacture and use thereof. For example, some of these earrings are selectively reversible between different aesthetic appearances for wearing to different occasions. This selective reversibility is enabled through various modalities of operation (e.g., clock-like action, spinning action). These modalities of operation are technologically beneficial because these modalities of operation enable such earrings to be selectively reversed from various ear portions.

A jacket for an earring stud having a post is provided. The jacket includes a connecting member for releasably securing the earring to the earlobe of a wearer. The connecting member may pierce the ear or frictionally engage the ear to secure the earring in place. The jacket includes an ornamental section which is carried by the connecting member and incorporates a selected jewelry design. In one embodiment, the ornamental section comprises a gemstone mount for securing a plurality of gemstones on the connecting member. A stud mount is joined with the ornamental section and defines an opening proportioned for receiving the post of a stud which can be releasably mounted thereon and changed as necessary or desired to change the color and/or configuration of the jacket. In one embodiment, the design member of the ornamental section can be interchanged with other selected design members to alter the appearance of the jacket.

An assembly is provided comprising a gemstone holder and a battery housing. The gemstone holder comprises a bezel portion providing a mount for receiving a gemstone and a shaft portion comprising an elongate shaft. The elongate shaft comprises first and second electrically conducting portions. The battery housing comprises a battery power source and a plurality of apertures, the first one of said plurality of apertures being configured to enable engagement of an end portion of the shaft with a first connector within the housing, and the second one of said plurality of apertures being configured to enable engagement of an end portion of the shaft with a second connector within the housing. The assembly further comprises a light emitting diode, LED, configured to illuminate the gemstone. Engagement of the end portion of the shaft with the first connector completes an electrical circuit between the battery power source and the LED, whereas engagement of the end portion of the shaft with the second connector does not complete the electrical circuit.

Various pieces of jewelry and methods of manufacture and use thereof. In particular, these technologies enable a piece of jewelry with a region hosting (i) a hidden hinge and (ii) a decorative element. The decorative element includes a first wall and a second wall opposing the first wall such that the first wall and the second wall collectively define the decorative element when the hidden hinge is closed, thereby enabling a visually continuous appearance when viewed by an observer, and not collectively define the decorative element when the hidden hinge is open, thereby not enabling the visually continuous appearance when viewed by the observer. Therefore, by having the decorative element include the first wall and the second wall, the visually continuous appearance is enabled when the hidden hinge is closed.

A decorative earring structure in the form of an elongated wire piece having contiguous wire piece sections including at least a proximal top wire piece section that is in the form of a wire piece arcuate loop that is constructed and arranged to extend over, about and behind the ear of a wearer, and a distal turned wire piece section that is constructed and arranged for positioning behind the ear lobe. A support receptacle is disposed at a free end of the distal turned wire piece and disposed at a back side of the ear lobe, and a support post is disposed at a front side of the ear lobe, engageable with the support receptacle and for retaining the decorative earring structure in place.

A supplemental support system is an apparatus that supports the weight of an earring with the lobe of an ear. The apparatus includes a support strip, an adhesive strip, an earring post, and an earring backing. The support strip reinforces the natural shape of the ear so that the ear does not stretch as a result of the earring weight, including various decorative elements that may be connected to the earring post or the earring backing. The adhesive strip mounts the support strip across the back of the ear. The earring post and the earring backing define an earring. Moreover, the earring post is positioned into the earring hole of an ear, and the earring backing connects the earring post with the lobe of the ear. The earring post also traverses through the support strip and the adhesive strip, thereby distributing the weight of the earring with the support strip.

A pierced earring holding and locking system is provided that securely retains the locking system in both locked and unlocked configurations by providing an engagement mechanism in the body of the locking system, such as a spring or interlocking surface projections and depressions. The body of the locking system may include a shaft, arms extending from the shaft, and a recess formed between the arms. A locking bar is pivotally engaged with the body section and movable between a first position with the locking bar substantially parallel to the shaft, and a second position with the locking bar substantially perpendicular to the shaft. The body section further may include a spring biased towards the locking bar, the spring being compressed by the locking bar when the locking bar is in the first position.

An earring post construction that includes an elongated earring post and a cup that is for the support of a decorative piece. The elongated earring post and cup are integrally formed in a single piece construction so as to eliminate the use of any attachment means between the elongated earring post and the cup; in combination with a securing stud that engages with the elongated earring post, and wherein there is provided an elongated passage in the elongated earring post so as to minimize the amount of precious metal used in constructing at least the elongated earring post.

An earring back for a pierced ear earring includes a first receiver having a first recessed, concave surface which has a first opening defined through a center, most recessed position thereof, which opening is configured to securely receive a post of a pierced-ear earring therein, and a second receiver with a second recessed, concave surface having a second opening defined through a center, most recessed position thereof which is configured to securely receive the post of the pierced-ear earring therein after the post extends through the opening of the first receiver. The second receiver is fixed in spaced relation to the first receiver such that the first and second openings are coaxially aligned.

A decorative earring structure in the form of an elongated wire piece having contiguous wire piece sections including at least a proximal top wire piece section that is in the form of a wire piece arcuate loop that is constructed and arranged to extend over, about and behind the ear of a wearer, and a distal turned wire piece section that is constructed and arranged for positioning behind the ear lobe. A support receptacle is disposed at a free end of the distal turned wire piece and disposed at a back side of the ear lobe, and a support post is disposed at a front side of the ear lobe, engageable with the support receptacle and for retaining the decorative earring structure in place.