Method for manufacturing an ornament made of precious metal and ornament manufactured thereby

Abstract

A method for manufacturing ornaments made of precious metals is provided. A sheet, plate or foil made of pure precious metal—i.e. having a fineness equal to or greater than 999 parts per thousand—is provided, a profile of a desired shape is traced, and the sheet or plate is cut according to the profile to obtain an ornament having the desired shape. The method obtains ornaments made of precious metal of any two-dimensional shape in a short time with limited manufacturing costs. The method can be used to produce a large number of variants of commercial collections of jewels and/or ornaments made of pure precious metals according to the commercial choices of the manufacturer, and to obtain “tailor-made” ornaments made of pure precious metal—i.e. starting from a specific design of the user—in a very short time, or even immediately.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an ornament made of precious metal, comprising: providing a sheet or plate or foil of pure precious metal with a fineness equal to or greater than 999 parts per thousand; tracing the profile of a desired shape; cutting the sheet or plate or foil according to the profile by using a hacksaw in order to obtain the ornament having the desired shape; wherein the pure precious metal is pure gold and wherein said sheet or plate or foil has a thickness between 0.40 and 0.60 mm; wherein the sheet, plate or foil is obtained by: melting the precious metal in a crucible and successively casting in a mold; rolling the metal thus obtained in a rolling machine; eliminating irregularities present in the sheet, plate or foil, by means of a new passage through the rolling machine, but in a reverse direction and by processing with cross-strokes; and wherein the method further comprises, after cutting the sheet or plate or foil according to the profile, glazing the ornament.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the profile is traced on a separate support that can be applied and superimposed to the sheet or plate or foil.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after cutting the sheet or plate or foil according to the profile, finishing and smoothing the edges of the ornament.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after cutting the sheet or plate or foil according to the profile, carrying out surface treatments of the ornament.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after cutting the sheet or plate or foil according to the profile, applying the ornament on a carrier.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sheet or plate or foil has a thickness between 0.45 mm and 0.50 mm.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after cutting the sheet or plate or foil according to the profile, setting precious stones, semi-precious stones or pearls in the ornament.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after cutting the sheet or plate or foil according to the profile, engraving the ornament.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after cutting the sheet or plate or foil according to the profile, engraving photographs on the ornament.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after cutting the sheet or plate or foil according to the profile, applying enamel on the ornament.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become evident from the following description of some preferred embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIGS. 1a-1c schematically show the main steps of the method according to the invention;

(3) FIGS. 2a-2d schematically show some possible applications of the ornament manufactured by the method according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(4) With reference initially to FIGS. 1a-1c, the method according to the invention comprises at least the steps of: providing a sheet, plate or foil 1 made of pure precious metal (FIG. 1a); tracing the profile 3 of a desired shape; cutting said sheet, plate or foil 1 according to said profile 3 for obtaining the ornament 5 having the desired shape.

(5) The sheet, plate or foil 1 is obtained in a per se known manner by: melting the precious metal in the crucible and successively casting in a mold; rolling the metal thus obtained in a rolling machine; thanks to rolling, the metal becomes “green” and therefore harder and less ductile and malleable; eliminating irregularities present in the sheet, plate or foil, by means of a new passage through the rolling machine, but in a reverse direction and by processing with cross-strokes.

(6) In a non-limiting example, the precious metals that can be used in the method according to the invention include silver, gold and platinum.

(7) As mentioned above, according to the invention the sheet or plate 1 will be made of a precious metal with a fineness equal to or greater than 999 parts per thousand.

(8) As mentioned above, according to the invention the thickness of said sheet or plate is selected so as to obtain an ornament having a sufficient rigidity despite the high ductility and malleability of precious metals having a fineness equal to or greater than 999 parts per thousand and, at the same time, to make sure of being able to perform the subsequent step of cutting easily and without the need for complex tools, as well as to obtain a wearable ornament.

(9) This thickness is selected in a different way depending on the used metal.

(10) In the case of silver, it will be between 1.5 and 2.0 mm. In the case of gold, it will be between 0.4 and 0.6 mm, and preferably between 0.45 and 0.50 mm. In the case of platinum, it will be between 0.4 and 0.6 mm, and preferably between 0.45 and 0.55 mm. The step of tracing the profile 3 can be carried out either directly on the sheet, plate or foil 1 (for example by a felt-tip pen or a stylus), or on a separate support (such as a sheet of flimsy paper) that can be applied and superimposed to said sheet, plate or foil 1.

(11) The step of cutting the sheet, plate or foil 1 for obtaining the ornament 5 can be carried out according to any known technique available to the person skilled in the art. More particularly, it can be manually performed by using a hacksaw (which is known in goldsmithing but is traditionally used for purposes other than jewelry making), but the use of more advanced techniques, such as laser cutting and the like, is not excluded.

(12) From the above description it is evident that the method according to the invention achieves the objects set forth above as it allows to obtain ornaments of pure precious metals having any desired shape, substantially without any limitation.

(13) More particularly, it will be evident that the method according to the invention provides for the considerable advantage of manufacturing “tailor-made” ornaments.

(14) The user will be able to see the manufacturing of an ornament made according to his/her own original design, immediately and before his/her eyes, without any waiting time.

(15) As mentioned above, the method according to the invention may provide for subsequent finishing steps.

(16) More particularly, it is possible to provide a step of finishing and smoothing the edges of the ornament 5.

(17) This step of finishing and smoothing of the edges allows to simultaneously achieve three different purposes: further improving the aesthetic appearance of the ornament by improving the appearance of the structure of said edges; eliminating cutting surfaces that could cause scratches or other unpleasant and annoying feelings to the user; eliminating sharp surfaces that could get caught and damage clothes or other ornaments.

(18) Said step of finishing and smoothing can be carried out in two stages: a first stage of rougher processing in which a file or similar tool is employed, and a second stage of finer processing in which sandpaper with an appropriate grit is used.

(19) It is also possible—and preferable—to provide a step of glazing.

(20) This glazing step helps preventing aesthetic degradation due to the formation of scratches and abrasions that could affect a polished and unglazed surface and it is particularly advantageous in the case of ornaments made of pure precious metals as they are particularly prone to formation of scratches, lines and similar signs due to their ductility and malleability.

(21) Said glazing step can be carried out by using spatulas and/or sponges having suitable roughness.

(22) Moreover, after having obtained the ornament 5 with the desired shape, it will be possible to subject said ornament to surface treatments and/or to various types of setting, such as setting of precious stones, semi-precious stones or pearls and/or to various types of engraving (including engraving photographs) and/or to applying enamel.

(23) The degrees of freedom in obtaining ornaments by the method according to the invention are thus further increased.

(24) According to the usual practice in this field, the obtained ornaments may also be subjected to punching, namely for putting on the ornament the seal of the craftsman manufacturing the ornament and the fineness of the used precious metal.

(25) Unlike the case of jewels made of alloys, in the case of ornaments according to the invention such a punching step may cause the formation of unsightly marks due to the higher ductility and malleability of pure precious metals. Accordingly, the method according to the invention provides, after the punching step, a subsequent step of further glazing in order to remove those unsightly marks.

(26) In FIGS. 2a-2d some possible applications of ornaments obtained by the method according to the invention are schematically shown.

(27) More particularly: it is possible to envisage using such ornament alone, for example as a pendant (FIG. 2a); it is possible to envisage using such ornament as a complement of a jewel, for example, a bracelet (FIG. 2b); it is possible to envisage using such ornament as an application for a bag or a similar leather product (FIG. 2c); it is possible to envisage using such ornament as an application for a dress or other clothing (FIG. 2d).

(28) It is evident that these examples of application, and in general, the description provided by way of explanation have not to be taken in any way as limiting and many modifications and variations are within the reach of the person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.

(29) For example, it is evident that, in addition to the non-limiting examples of FIGS. 2a-2d, the ornaments obtained by the method according to the invention may be incorporated into any items or accessories (glasses, key-rings, and so on).