Illuminated jewelery

A method of generating an attractive composite optical effect in an article of jewelry comprising a compound jewel with a first portion and a second portion, the first and second portions having different optical properties and responding in visibly different ways to illumination, the method comprising:

• artificially illuminating the first portion of the compound jewel;
• artificially or naturally illuminating the second portion of the compound jewel;
• and
• permitting combination of optical effects generated by the illumination of the first portion and the second portion to thereby provide the composite optical effect.

An article of jewelry for generating an attractive composite optical effect, the article of jewelry comprising:

• a compound jewel having a first portion and a second portion, the first and second portions having different optical properties and responding in visibly different ways to illumination;
• and
• a light source for artificially illuminating at least the first portion of the compound jewel, the compound jewel and light source being arranged to generate the composite optical effect from the combination of optical effects generated by the artificially illuminated first portion and from the second portion when the same is naturally or artificially illuminated;
• and
• a controller for controlling the light source to cause it to emit light pulses wherein the controller is arranged to cause the light source to emit light pulses of variable intensity.

An article of jewelry for generating an attractive composite optical effect, the article of jewelry comprising:

• a compound jewel having a first portion and a second portion, the first and second portions having different optical properties and responding in visibly different ways to illumination;
• and
• a light source for artificially illuminating at least the first portion of the compound jewel, the compound jewel and light source being arranged to generate the composite optical effect from the combination of optical effects generated by the artificially illuminated first portion and from the second portion when the same is naturally or artificially illuminated;
• and
• a controller for controlling the light source to cause it to emit light pulses wherein the controller is arranged to cause the light source to emit a series of light pulses in which each light pulse has a controllably variable duration.