Decorative ear enhancement article

Abstract

A decorative ear enhancement article and a method of installing and retaining the article on an ear are provided. The article has an integrated body with a relatively thin curved support portion shaped to be fitted behind an ear of a user and concealed by the ear when the article is worn and a decorative portion extending from an end of the curved support portion for placement in front of the ear and visible when the article is worn. The decorative portion cooperates with the curved support portion to retain the integrated body on the ear and keep the curved support portion behind the ear. The decorative portion has a floating appearance without apparent support.

1 . A decorative ear enhancement article comprising an integrated body including a relatively thin curved support portion shaped to be fitted behind an ear of a user and concealed by the ear when the article is worn and a decorative portion extending from an end of said curved support portion for placement in front of the ear and visible when the article is worn, said decorative portion cooperating with said curved support portion to retain the integrated body on the ear and keep said curved support portion behind the ear, and said integrated body being constructed to provided a floating appearance of the decorative portion without apparent support.  
     
     
         2 . The decorative article of  claim 1 , wherein said integrated body is constructed to be sufficiently flexible to be fitted and retained on the ear without forming holes in the ear or clamping a lobe of the ear.  
     
     
         3 . The decorative article of  claim 1 , wherein said decorative portion extends from an upper end of said curved support portion and extends in front of the ear.  
     
     
         4 . The decorative article of  claim 3 , wherein said decorative portion comprises a generally vertically extending member for placement alongside the front of the ear, said generally vertically extending member being of sufficient length to retain the curved support portion on the back of the ear, and said generally vertically extending portion being visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         5 . The decorative article of  claim 3 , wherein said decorative portion comprises a generally horizontally extending member for placement across the top of the front of the ear, said generally horizontally being of sufficient length to retain the curved support portion on the back of the ear and said generally horizontally extending member being visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         6 . The decorative article of  claim 4 , wherein said generally vertically extending member comprises a relatively thin truncated extension of said curved support portion, said thin extension being visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         7 . The decorative article of  claim 4 , wherein said decorative portion includes an ornamental member adjoining said vertical member for positioning over the front of the ear, said vertical member and said ornamental member being visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         8 . The decorative article of  claim 7 , wherein said ornamental member has a polygonal shape.  
     
     
         9 . The decorative article of  claim 7 , wherein said ornamental member has an amorphic shape.  
     
     
         10 . The decorative article of  claim 4 , wherein said generally vertically extending member is of polygonal form.  
     
     
         11 . The decorative article of  claim 10 , wherein the polygonal form is a rectangle.  
     
     
         12 . The decorative article of  claim 4 , wherein the generally vertically extending member comprises a relatively thin extension of said curved support portion, and said relatively thin extension extends vertically for a distance and then across the front of the ear when the article is worn.  
     
     
         13 . The decorative article of  claim 5 , wherein the generally horizontally extending portion has a polygonal shape.  
     
     
         14 . The decorative article of  claim 5 , wherein the generally horizontally extending portion has an amorphic shape.  
     
     
         15 . The decorative article of  claim 5 , wherein the decorative portion further includes a relatively thin generally vertically extending member which is continuous with said curved support portion and which cooperates with said generally horizontally extending member to retain said integrated body on the ear and keep said curved support portion behind the ear when the article is worn.  
     
     
         16 . The decorative article of  claim 1 , including a further decorative portion extending from the opposite end of the said curved support portion for placement over the front of an ear lobe, such that the ear lobe is positioned between the curved support member and the further decorative portion and said decorative portions are visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         17 . The decorative article of  claim 16 , wherein the further decorative portion has a polygonal shape.  
     
     
         18 . The decorative article of  claim 16 , wherein the further decorative portion has an amorphic shape.  
     
     
         19 . The decorative article of  claim 16 , wherein the further decorative portion comprises a relatively thin extension of said curved support portion joined to a further ornamental member.  
     
     
         20 . The decorative article of  claim 1 , wherein said curved support member has a reverse C shape.  
     
     
         21 . The decorative article of  claim 1 , including a relatively thin extension extending from said curved support member between said ends of said support member and concealed by the ear of the user and/or hair of the user when the article is worn, said relatively thin extension comprising means for suspending an ornament therefrom, said ornament being visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         22 . The decorative article of  claim 1 , including an extension from said curved support member, said extension comprising an ornamental member extending from a position between said ends of said support member, said ornamental member being visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         23 . The decorative article of  claim 1 , wherein said decorative portion is positioned entirely outside the opening in the ear when the article is worn.  
     
     
         24 . A method of installing and retaining a decorative ear enhancement article on an ear, the article comprising an integrated body including a relatively thin curved support portion shaped to be fitted behind the ear and a decorative portion extending from an end of said curved support portion for placement in front of the ear, said method comprising: 
 grasping the integrated body and situating said body on the ear of a user so as to position said curved support portion behind the ear and hook the decorative portion in front of the ear so that said curved support portion is concealed by the ear and said decorative portion is visible, whereby the decorative portion appears to float in front of the ear without apparent support; and retaining said integrated body on the ear without forming holes in the ear or clamping the lobe of the ear by making said curved support member flexible and extend behind the ear while said decorative portion extends in front of the ear.    
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , comprising positioning said decorative portion so as to be entirely outside the opening in the ear when the article is worn.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , comprising extending said decorative portion from an upper end of said curved support portion in front of the ear when the article is worn.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said decorative portion comprises a generally vertically extending member for placement alongside the front of the ear, said generally vertically extending member being of sufficient length to retain the curved support portion on the back of the ear and said generally vertically extending portion being visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , comprising forming said decorative portion as a generally horizontally extending member for placement across the top of the front of the ear, and providing said generally horizontally extending member with sufficient length to retain the curved support portion on the back of the ear with a portion of the top of the ear positioned between the curved support portion and the decorative portion and said generally horizontally extending member being visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , comprising forming said generally vertically extending member as a relatively thin truncated extension of said curved support portion which is visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , comprising forming said decorative portion as an ornamental member adjoining said vertical member for positioning over the front of the ear, so that said vertical member and said ornamental member are visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 27 , comprising forming the generally vertically extending member as a relatively thin extension of said curved support portion, with said relatively thin extension extending vertically for a distance and then extending across the front of the ear so that said thin extension is visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 24 , comprising forming said integrated body with a further decorative portion and extending said further decorative portion from the opposite end of said curved support portion for placement over the front of the ear lobe, so that the ear lobe is positioned between the curved support member and the further decorative portion and said decorative portions are visible when the article is worn.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , comprising forming the further decorative portion as a relatively thin extension of said curved support portion joined to a further ornamental member.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 24 , comprising forming said curved support member in a reverse C shape.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 28 , comprising providing a relatively thin generally vertically extending member which is continuous with said curved support portion and which cooperates with said generally horizontally extending member to retain the curved support portion on the back of the ear when the article is worn.