Process for forming earring back

Abstract

The back portion of an omega-back earring is formed by investment-casting and then heat-treated to have spring gold characteristics. A rear surface of the ornamental front portion of the earring includes a depression to present a concave profile which is complementary to the convex profile of the pushing part of the rear portion of the earring. In a non-identical mirror-image pair of earrings, a design element such as a small precious stone is provided on only one of the earring pair, at an inconspicuous spot, to aid the wearer in distinguishing the right earring from the left earring.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . In a pair of earrings, one of said earrings intended for wearing on a user's left ear, the other of said earrings intended for wearing on the user's right ear, said earrings having respective ornamental surfaces for facing in a direction oriented outwardly from the ear on which the respective earring is worn, said respective ornamental surfaces being non-identical mirror images of each other, the improvement wherein a first one of said earrings has a design feature not present on the other one of said earrings, said design feature for distinguishing said first one of said earrings from the other one of said earrings to indicate to the user on which car the first one of said earrings is to be worn.  
     
     
         2 . The invention according to  claim 1 , wherein said design feature is located on a rear surface of said first one of said earrings, said rear surface oriented in a direction opposite to said respective ornamental surface of said first one of said earrings.  
     
     
         3 . The invention according to  claim 2 , wherein said design feature is of a color which contrasts with a color of said rear surface.  
     
     
         4 . The invention according to  claim 2 , wherein said design feature comprises a precious or semi-precious or synthetic stone.  
     
     
         5 . The invention according to  claim 4 , wherein said design feature comprises a ruby.  
     
     
         6 . The invention according to  claim 5 , wherein said first one of said earrings is intended for wearing on the user's right ear.  
     
     
         7 . In an omega-back earring having a front portion for adorning an outward surface of a wearer's ear and a back portion mounted by a hinge to said front portion, said front portion having a first surface for facing in a direction oriented outwardly from the wearer's ear and a second surface for contacting the wearer's earlobe, said front portion also having a post extending from said second surface, said post for being inserted through a hole pierced in the wearer's earlobe, said back portion including a loop for defining an aperture through which said post is inserted when the earring is attached to the wearer's ear in a closed condition; the improvement wherein said second surface of said front portion has a bowl-like region from which said post extends, said bowl-like region for defining a concave configuration relative to the wearer's earlobe, said loop of said back portion and said bowl-like region of said front portion engaging therebetween the wearer's earlobe when the earring is attached to the wearer's ear in the closed condition.  
     
     
         8 . The invention according to  claim 7 , wherein said loop of said back portion defines a convex configuration relative to the wearer's earlobe when the earring is attached to the wearer's earlobe in the closed condition, and said concave configuration of said bowl-like region is complementary to said convex configuration defined by said loop of said back portion.  
     
     
         9 . The invention according to  claim 7 , wherein said bowl-like region is formed in a filigree surface.  
     
     
         10 . In an omega-back earring having a front portion for adorning an outward surface of a wearer's ear and a back portion mounted by a hinge to said front portion, said front portion having a first surface for facing in a direction oriented outwardly from the wearer's ear and a second surface for contacting the wearer's earlobe, said front portion also having a post extending from said second surface, said post for being inserted through a hole pierced in the wearer's earlobe, said back portion including a loop for defining an aperture through which said post is inserted when the earring is attached to the wearer's ear in a closed condition; the improvement wherein said second surface of said front portion has a depression formed therein for presenting a concave space to an outer surface of the wearer's earlobe when the earring is attached to the wearer's ear in the closed condition.  
     
     
         11 . The invention according to  claim 10 , wherein said loop of said back portion defines a convex configuration relative to the wearer's earlobe when the earring is attached to the wearer's earlobe in the closed condition, and said concave space presented by said depression is complementary to said convex configuration defined by said loop of said back portion.  
     
     
         12 . The invention according to  claim 10 , wherein said depression is formed in a filigree surface.  
     
     
         13 . An omega-back earring, comprising: 
 a front member for adorning an outward surface of a wearer's ear, said front member having a front surface for facing in a direction oriented outwardly from the wearer's ear and a rear surface for contacting the wearer's earlobe, said front member including a post extending from said rear surface for being inserted through a hole pierced in the wearer's earlobe, said front member having a hinge portion at a lower end of said front member; and    a rear member for engaging a rear surface of the wearer's earlobe, said rear member including a loop at an upper end of said rear member, said loop for defining an aperture through which said post is inserted when the earring is attached to the wearer's ear in a closed condition, said rear member having a hinge portion at a lower end of said rear member, said respective hinge portions of said front and rear members cooperating to form a hinge by which said rear member is pivotable between said closed condition and an open condition;    wherein said rear member is formed by investment casting as a single, unitary body composed entirely of spring gold.    
     
     
         14 . A method of manufacturing a hinged earring, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a front portion of the earring;    forming a rear portion of the earring by investment casting, said rear portion being of a material that includes gold;    processing said rear portion of the earring so that said rear portion has characteristics of spring gold; and    assembling said front portion and said processed rear portion to form said hinged earring.    
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 14 , wherein said processing step includes: 
 heat-treating said rear portion at a first temperature; and then water-quenching the rear portion; and    heat-treating the quenched rear portion at a second temperature lower than said first temperature, followed by air-cooling the rear portion.    
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 15 , wherein said first temperature is substantially 1200° F. and said second temperature is substantially 600° F.  
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 14 , wherein said earring is an omega-back earring.  
     
     
         18 . A gold jewelry finding formed by investment casting and then hardened by heat treatment.  
     
     
         19 . A method of making a jewelry finding, the method comprising the steps of: 
 forming the finding by investment casting; and    heat-treating the casted finding.