Garments with semi-precious stone snaps

Abstract

A snap and a method for making a snap using on articles of clothing where an ornamental crystal or gem stone occupies a visible portion of the snap. To construct the snap, a housing is provided that is adapted to receive a shaped ornamental substrate only after thermally expanding the substrate, and the snap can then be used on articles of clothing to enhance the appearance of the clothing.

Claims

1. A method for forming a snap for use with an article of clothing, comprising: selecting a gem stone; shaping the gem stone into a two tier structure, a lower tier having a first height and further comprising a flat lowermost surface and a cylindrical base of a first diameter, and an upper tier having a second height approximately equal to the first height and further comprising a cylindrical portion of a second diameter less that said first diameter, a flat upper surface, said flat upper surface including a rounded circumferential corner, a transition of the lower tier to the upper tier forming a shoulder at a midline of the gem stone; providing a cylindrical housing having an inner diameter sized to receive the lower tier of the gem stone therein, said cylindrical housing having a flat floor abutting the flat lowermost surface of the lower tier, said cylindrical housing further comprising a circular opening smaller than said first diameter and positioned to provide viewing of the gem stone from below the cylindrical housing, a circumferential wall of the cylindrical housing includes an upper edge extending to a wall height above the first height of the lower tier and below said flat upper surface of the upper tier; forming the cylindrical housing with an angled, inwardly and upwardly projecting member extending from the upper edge of the cylindrical housing; heating the cylindrical housing to expand the cylindrical housing such that a circular opening formed by a distal tip of the projecting member expands to an opening diameter greater than said first diameter of the lower tier; inserting the gem stone into the heated cylindrical housing; and cooling the cylindrical housing until the angled, inwardly and upwardly projecting member bears against the rounded circumferential corner, trapping the gem stone inside the cylindrical housing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the first diameter to the second diameter is 9.5:8.5.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein further comprising attaching a snap peg to the flat floor of the cylindrical housing.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the snap peg is welded to the flat floor of the cylindrical housing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the gem stone has a Rockwell hardness value of between 7 and 10.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an illustration of a garment using the present invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a crystal cut into a cylindrical shape;

(3) FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the crystal of FIG. 2 inside a metallic casing;

(4) FIG. 4 is a side view of the crystal/casing combination;

(5) FIG. 5 is an elevated, perspective view of the crystal/casing combination of FIG. 4; and

(6) FIG. 6 is flow chart for a method of constructing the crystal/casing combination.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(7) FIG. 1 is a garment 10 of the type that may be used with the present invention. While FIG. 1 shows a particular type of garment (i.e., a shirt or blouse), it is understood that the invention is not limited to any particular type of garment and that the invention may be used with any article of clothing.

(8) FIG. 2 illustrates a profile of a gem stone or crystal 12 that has been shaped into a particular geometric volume for purposes of the invention. The process by which the substrate stone or crystal 12 is shaped involves rough and then fine abrasions until the desired shape is obtained. Specifically, the stone/crystal is shaped so as to have a flat upper surface 14 with rounded corners 16 at the periphery to form a dome-type structure 18 on the upper half of the stone 12. The lower half 20 of the stone is formed to have a larger diameter cylindrical base with a flat lowermost surface 22. The different diameter cylinders 18,20 define a shoulder 24 at the transition, where the shoulder 24 is located at approximately one half of the full height of the stone. Exemplary dimensions of the stone/crystal 12 of FIG. 2 have a diameter D of 9.5 mm and a height S of 2 mm. The offset E is 0.5 mm leaving the smaller diameter C at 8.5 mm. The thickness of the ledge L is 1 mm. These dimensions are illustrative only and are not limitations of the design itself.

(9) FIG. 3 shows the stone/crystal encased in a cylindrical housing 26 with a circular opening 28 along the top surface and a smaller circular opening 30 at the bottom surface 32. The upper opening is formed by a radially inwardly angled projection 34 that creates a bevel for purchase of the rounded corner 16 of the stone 12. The inwardly formed projection locks the stone 12 in the housing 26 while displaying a maximum surface area of the top (i.e., dome structure 18) of the stone. The bottom opening 30 serves to show the stone from the bottom. A snap peg 36 can be connected to the housing 26 (see FIG. 4) to form the upper half of the snap, or the housing can be left alone and serve as a button. FIG. 5 shows the completed snap 40 with the stone and housing together.

(10) FIG. 6 illustrates a method for forming the snap 40 according to the invention. Step 100 requires that a crystal or gem stone having a Rockwell hardness of between 7.0 and 10.0 be selected for incorporation into the snap. In step 110, the stone or crystal is cut and buffed into the two-tier shape of FIG. 2, and in step 120 the cylindrical housing or casing is secured to a vice, tool, or suitable surface. The casing is then heated to expand the casing by at least 3-5% to enable the shaped stone/crystal to be inserted into the expanded opening. The casing is then permitted to cool in step 140, trapping the gem stone inside the casing and forming the snap. Preferably a snap peg is then attached to the casing via welding, adhesive, or other suitable attachment, and the snap is paired with a mating snap receiving portion and both components are attached to an article of clothing such as shown in FIG. 1.

(11) While the foregoing depicts one preferred embodiment of the invention, it is understood that there are many other modifications and substitutions that can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, and the invention should not be interpreted as being limited in any way to the shapes, sizes, colors, or dimensions set forth above. Rather, the invention's scope will be determined by the appended claims along with the description of the invention, including the drawings, without undue limitations.