Jewelry clasp

In a clasp permitting elective connection and disconnection of ends of a chain, the improvement comprising a forcibly engageable and disengageable fastener having a stud part with a projection thereon and a socket part, acting in combination with a structure including two support-bodies, one said body being permanently secured to each said fastener part, said fastener parts having a direction of engagement and of disengagement that parallel said projection of said stud part, each said body having connective means for permanently joining its said fastener part to ends of a chain, at positions causing pulling stress from the ends to be received, by a closed clasp, in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of disengagement, said socket part including an opening, accessible from either side for receiving said stud part, said projection having an outer end and being long enough to enter one side of said socket opening, pass through and extend out of the other side of said socket opening, when the fastener is engaged, far enough to locate said outer end of said protection readily accessible to pressure and to respond to such pressure by moving, relative to said socket opening, in the direction of disengagement, said projection including a maximum cross section dimension extension part having a length extending along the direction of engagement and disengagement of said clasp to cause contact between said socket part and said maximum cross section dimension extension part of said projection when a substantial tilting movement of said socket part relative to said projection is made which prevents fastener disengagement, said outer end of said projection in the engaged fastener, acts to temporarily lock said socket part against said projection to cause stopping of a relative movement in the direction of disengagement that includes a substantial tilting of said socket part relative to said projection, so that disengagement is thereby limited to a relative movement of said stud and socket parts in which their axes remain sufficiently aligned to avoid the stopping of a relative movement, said support body of said socket part having edges that extend beyond an edge of said support body of said stud part, when said fastener is engaged, so that said edges of support body of said socket may be contacted for support by fingers on two opposing sides, without blocking said socket opening, or the relative movement of said projection on said stud part, while pressure is applied to said outer end of the said projection to facilitate maintaining of said axes in sufficient alignment to avoid the substantial tilting and the stopping and to thus permit movement, once initiated, to continue until fastener disengagement is effected and said clasp is opened.