Knitted silver alloy fashion accessory and method of manufacture

Abstract

A knitted fiber fashion accessory and method of forming includes at least one silver alloy wire knitted in a three-dimensional structure where the silver alloy is a precipitation hardened silver alloy. The fashion accessory can include means for attaching the fashion accessory to a human body and/or a decorative element connected to the knitted fiber structure. The method includes providing a silver alloy wire having at least one alloying metal; knitting the silver alloy wire into a knitted fiber structure; and precipitation hardening the silver alloy wire to produce a precipitation hardened silver alloy wire. The precipitation hardening improves yield strength and causes a volume reduction that improves flexibility or suppleness.

1 . A knitted fiber fashion accessory, comprising at least one silver alloy wire knitted in a three-dimensional structure, said silver alloy being a precipitation hardened silver alloy.  
     
     
         2 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 1 , wherein said silver alloy is a sterling silver alloy including copper and at least one additional alloying metal.  
     
     
         3 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 2 , wherein said alloying metal is a member selected from the group consisting of germanium, aluminum, magnesium, lead, antimony, beryllium, boron, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         4 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 3 , wherein said silver alloy consists essentially of silver, copper, germanium, and boron.  
     
     
         5 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 4 , wherein said silver alloy has a composition of about 92.5 wt % silver, 6.3 wt % copper, 1.2 wt % germanium, and 0.002 wt % boron.  
     
     
         6 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 1 , wherein said precipitation hardened silver alloy has a yield strength of from about 1.5 to about 2.5 times that of an untreated silver alloy having an identical elemental composition.  
     
     
         7 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the knitted fiber fashion accessory is precipitation hardened after knitting into the three-dimensional structure such that volumetric shrinkage during precipitation hardening results in an increased flexibility of the three-dimensional structure.  
     
     
         8 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 1 , wherein said precipitation hardened silver alloy has a volumetric shrinkage of about 0.5% that of the silver alloy prior to precipitation hardening.  
     
     
         9 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the silver alloy wire has a maximum cross-sectional dimension of about 0.1 inches.  
     
     
         10 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 9 , wherein the silver alloy wire has a maximum cross-sectional dimension of from about 0.001 to about 0.01 inches.  
     
     
         11 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 1 , wherein said three-dimensional structure is selected from the group consisting of weave, braid, knitted, and knotted.  
     
     
         12 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 11 , wherein said knitted fiber fashion accessory comprises a member selected from the group consisting of a hollow tube, non-hollow tube, ribbon, sheet, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         13 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 1 , wherein said three-dimensional structure is substantially free of joints or welds.  
     
     
         14 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 1 , further comprising means for attaching the fashion accessory to a human body.  
     
     
         15 . The knitted fiber fashion accessory of  claim 1 , further comprising a decorative element coupled to the three-dimensional structure.  
     
     
         16 . A method of forming a knitted fiber fashion accessory, comprising steps of: 
 a) providing a silver alloy wire, said silver alloy wire having at least one alloying metal;    b) knitting said silver alloy wire into a knitted fiber structure; and    c) precipitation hardening the silver alloy wire to produce a precipitation hardened silver alloy wire.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of precipitation hardening includes; 
 a) heating the silver alloy wire to a first temperature sufficient to produce a substantially single phase solution prior to the step of knitting;    b) cooling the single phase solution to produce a solution treated silver alloy; and    c) heating the solution treated silver alloy to a second temperature less than the first temperature subsequent to the step of knitting and cooling the solution treated silver alloy, such that a second phase is precipitated to form the precipitation hardened silver alloy wire.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of knitting occurs prior to the step of precipitation hardening.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the knitted fiber structure has initial dimensions calculated to produce a precipitation hardened structure having predetermined final dimensions.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the predetermined final dimensions are about 0.5% smaller than the initial dimensions.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the three-dimensional structure is knitted such that volumetric shrinkage during precipitation hardening results in an increased suppleness of the knitted fiber structure.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said silver alloy is a sterling silver alloy including copper and at least one additional alloying metal.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein said silver alloy consists essentially of silver, copper, germanium, and boron.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of knitting further includes providing a sacrificial thread placed substantially parallel and adjacent to the silver alloy wire during knitting.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the sacrificial thread is removed subsequent to the step of knitting.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the sacrificial thread is a cotton thread.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said precipitation hardened silver alloy has a yield strength of from about 1.5 to about 2.5 times that of an untreated silver alloy having an identical elemental composition.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said silver alloy wire is a single continuous wire which forms substantially all of the knitted fiber structure.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of coupling to the knitted fiber structure a means for attaching the fashion accessory to a human body.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of coupling a decorative element coupled to the knitted fiber structure.  
     
     
         31 . A fashion accessory, comprising: 
 a) a knitted fiber structure, comprising at least one silver alloy wire knitted in a three-dimensional structure, said silver alloy being a precipitation hardened silver alloy comprising silver, copper, germanium, and boron;    b) means for attaching the fashion accessory to a human body, said means being operatively connected to the knitted fiber structure; and    c) a decorative element connected to the knitted fiber structure.    
     
     
         32 . The fashion accessory of  claim 31 , wherein said means for attaching is a latch, pin, looped configuration, clasp, finding, or combination thereof.  
     
     
         33 . The fashion accessory of  claim 31 , wherein said silver alloy is a sterling silver alloy including copper and at least one additional alloying metal.