Jewellery product and method

Abstract

The invention provides a jewellery product comprising a plurality of filling items trapped in an open-mesh shell. The shell comprises a plurality of mesh openings through which the filling items are unable to pass, and at least one filling opening through which the filling items are able to pass. The filling opening is occluded by an occluding member to trap the filling items within the shell. The invention further provides a method of making the jewellery product.

1 . A jewellery piece comprising:
 a plurality of filling items,   an open-mesh shell for containing the filling item, the shell comprising a plurality of mesh openings through which each of the plurality of filling items is unable to pass and at least one filling opening through which the plurality of filling items are able to pass, and   an occluding member for occluding the at least one filling opening,   whereby the filling item is trapped within the shell by the occlusion of the at least one filling opening.   
     
     
         2 . The jewellery piece of  claim 1  wherein the filling items comprise at least one transparent or translucent item. 
     
     
         3 . The jewellery piece of  claim 2  wherein the filling items comprise at least one gemstone. 
     
     
         4 . The jewellery piece of  claim 3  wherein the filling items comprise a plurality of gemstones. 
     
     
         5 . The jewellery piece of  claim 1  wherein the shell is formed from precious metal. 
     
     
         6 . The jewellery piece of  claim 5  wherein the shell is cast. 
     
     
         7 . The jewellery piece of  claim 6  wherein the shell is formed by loss wax casting. 
     
     
         8 . The jewellery piece of  claim 1  wherein the at least one filling opening is occluded by an object. 
     
     
         9 . The jewellery piece of  claim 8  wherein the object comprises a plug. 
     
     
         10 . The jewellery piece of  claim 8  wherein the shell comprises a plurality of filling openings and the object comprises a chain extending through the filling openings. 
     
     
         11 . A method of forming a jewellery piece having a shell containing a plurality of filling items, comprising the steps of:
 a. casting an open-mesh shell, mesh openings in the shell being configured to prevent each of the plurality of filling items from passing through the mesh openings;   b. inserting the filling items into the shell through at least one filling opening configured to allow the filling items to pass through the at least one filling opening; and   c. occluding the filling opening to prevent the filling items from passing through the filling opening.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the filling items comprise at least one transparent or translucent item. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the filling items comprise at least one gemstone. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the filling items comprise a plurality of gemstones. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the shell is formed from precious metal. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the shell is cast. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the shell is formed by loss wax casting. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the at least one filling opening is occluded by an object. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the object comprises a plug. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the shell comprises a plurality of filling openings and step c. comprises the step of threading a chain through the filling openings.