US 11,877,631 B2Granted

Method of identifying and tracing gems by marking jewelry bearing or supporting the gems and jewelry so marked

OwnerYianni Melasinventor

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Abstract

A method to permanently mark an item of plated jewelry involves creating a laminate of two metals, and upper layer typically formed of a more precious metal such as gold, platinum, and palladium that do not readily oxidize, laminated onto the surface of a less precious metal, such as silver, which is oxidized to create a dark color (e.g. black). A laser is used to create characters and/or designs in the upper layer by vaporizing portions to effectively remove those portions. This exposes the upper surface of the less precious metal that does become oxidized. An oxidizer, such as liquid sulfur, is used to blacken the silver, typically a dark gray. This allows an easy and inexpensive method of archiving information on jewelry bearing or supporting a gem that describes the supported gem rendering the gem more valuable collectible and traceable.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of transferring gem identification information onto a jewelry setting for the gem, comprising:

obtaining the gem;
obtaining the jewelry setting comprising an upper layer of a first metal and a lower layer of a second metal that is more susceptible to oxidation than the first metal;
determining gem identification information including at least one salient property of the gem;
transferring the gem identification information to the jewelry setting, at least in part by using a laser to engrave the determined information through the first metal to expose the second metal, and subjecting the exposed second metal portion to an oxidization process to impart a color that provides a contrast to a color of the first metal to enhance visibility of the transferred gem information;
wherein the oxidization process comprises applying a liquid sulfur oxidizer to the exposed second metal portion to darken the exposed second metal portion and applying a second liquid oxidizer to the exposed second metal portion to further darken the exposed second metal portion;
and
mounting the gem on the jewelry setting.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/498,121Filed 11 Oct 2021 · continuation
Priority: 27 May 2016
Published: US 2022/0095751 A131 Mar 2022
Granted: 23 Jan 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

A44C 27/00
Making jewellery or other personal adornments
A44C 17/02
Gems or the like: settings for holding gems or the like, e.g. for ornaments or decorations
G01N 21/87
Systems specially adapted for particular applications: investigating jewels
A44C 19/00
Devices for preventing pilfering of watches or jewellery

Family

Application62/342,371Us provisional application · filed 27 May 2016
Application15/608,786Parent of this continuation · filed 30 May 2017
US 2022/0095751 A1Pre-grant publication · published 31 Mar 2022
US 11,140,954 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2017/0341184 A1Published application
US 11,877,631 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.