Ear nut with handles and handle separator

Abstract

An ear-nut or jewelry clasp for gripping a post extending from the back of an earring or other piece of jewelry or ornament. The clasp has an added pair of gripping tabs which are preferably longer and/or wider or otherwise distinctive from the friction fingers which secure the post of the earring. These added gripping tabs facilitate gripping by the user when removing the clasp from the post. To further facilitate the gripping of these tabs, a metal separator in a round shape (or any open-shape that allows it to clear the post with room to spare, such as in the shape of an animal, an oval, a rectangle, square, sphere, or star, etc.) is affixed between the tabs to prevent them from being squeezed together by the pressure of the user's fingers.

1 . A jewelry clasp for gripping the post of a piece of jewelry, said jewelry clasp comprising: 
 a. A base plate having a first surface for facing toward said piece of jewelry and a second surface for facing away from said piece of jewelry, an opening in said base plate for passing a jewelry post there through;    b. At least one spring finger extending outwardly from said second surface to a position where a portion of the spring finger can frictionally engage a side surface of a jewelry post when said post is passed through said opening;    c. At least one user gripping tab extending outwardly from said base plate second surface to a position where said gripping tab can be gripped by a user for removal of said jewelry clasp from said post.    d. At least one metal separator cast or stamped in a shape that clears the post, said separator being affixed, suspended, between the gripping tabs.    
     
     
         2 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 1  in which said base plate is substantially circular and said at least one spring finger is a pair of spring fingers extending substantially from the twelve o'clock and six o'clock positions thereon and said at least one gripping tab is a pair of gripping tabs extending substantially from the three o'clock and the nine o'clock positions thereon.  
     
     
         3 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 2  in which said gripping tabs are separated by a metal separator of a shape which clears the post with room to spare.  
     
     
         4 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 3  in which said separator is secured to gripping tabs by hard solder.  
     
     
         5 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 3  in which said separator is stamped as one piece with correct spacing.  
     
     
         6 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 2  in which said pair of gripping tabs extends farther outward than said spring fingers.  
     
     
         7 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 2  in which at least one of said pair of gripping tabs has a greater width than either of said spring fingers.  
     
     
         8 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 2  in which said gripping tabs have an indentation or dip in the material of the gripping tabs to facilitate gripping thereof.  
     
     
         9 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 2  in which at least one of said gripping tabs is a shaped piece of metal secured to said base plate.  
     
     
         10 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 2  in which the opening in said base plate is centrally located and said base plate's surface has a funnel shaped depressed area around said opening to facilitate entry of a jewelry post into said opening.  
     
     
         11 . A clasp for gripping a post extending from the back of a piece of jewelry said clasp comprising: 
 a. a generally circular base plate having a first surface for facing toward said piece of jewelry and a second surface for facing away from said piece of jewelry, a centrally located opening in said base plate for passing a jewelry post there through;    b. a pair of opposed spring fingers on said second surface positioned to frictionally engage opposed sides of a jewelry post when said post is passed through said opening;    c. a pair of opposed user gripping tabs extending outwardly from said second surface to a position where said tabs can be gripped by a user for removal of said clasp from said jewelry post, said tabs being spaced away from said spring fingers, and being of a distinctive shape from said spring fingers;    d. a metal separator of a shape which keeps said tabs from being squeezed together by the pressure of the user's grip.    
     
     
         12 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 1  including at least one earring stabilizer extending radially outward from said base plate.  
     
     
         13 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 12  in which said earring stabilizer includes first and second generally parallel extension bars and a stabilizing member connected to at least one of said first and second extension bars.  
     
     
         14 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 13  in which first and second bars project radially outward from said base plate at a position adjacent one of said gripping tabs.  
     
     
         15 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 11  including at least one earring stabilizer extending radially outward from said base plate.  
     
     
         16 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 11  in which said earring stabilizer includes first and second generally parallel extension bars and a stabilizing member connected to at least one of said first and second extension bars.  
     
     
         17 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 11  in which said first and second extension bars project radially outward from said base plate at a position adjacent to one of said gripping tabs.  
     
     
         18 . The jewelry clasp of  claim 11  in which said first and second exterior bars are secured to said plates by solder.