Patent Application
20090090133
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to jewelry. More particularly, this invention relates to jewelry which is made from biodegradable and/or recycled materials.
2. State of the Art
The history of jewelry is ancient. Shell beads recently found in Israel are believed to be 100,000 years old. Originally, jewelry served a variety of practical purposes, e.g. as a store of wealth or to hold clothing together. More recently jewelry has been used primarily as adornment. Jewelry has also been used to convey messages. For example, rings are commonly used to identify graduation from an educational institution, membership in an organization, commitment to a partner, etc. Some messages conveyed by jewelry may be considered political such as support for troops in combat, concern for finding the cure for a particular disease such as AIDS, cancer, etc.
An item of jewelry according to the invention is manufactured almost entirely from biodegradable and/or recycled materials and can be worn as a symbol of support for environmentalism. According to a presently preferred embodiment, a bracelet is provided that is made primarily from a cornstarch based resin. The resin is used to form beads which are strung together to form a bracelet. According to the presently preferred embodiment, a charm bearing a message is attached to the bracelet. According to exemplary embodiments, the message on the charm is symbolic of the phrase “no plastic” or is the international symbol for recycling. The charm may be made from biodegradable material or from recycled metal such as recycled brass. The recycled brass may be silver plated or plated with another material. The bracelet is preferably packaged in a clear envelope which is also made from cornstarch based resin. A hang tag is attached to the envelope with organic hemp string. The hang tag is made from unbleached post-consumer waste recycled paper and is printed with a soy based ink. The hang tag preferably is imprinted with environmental messages, the address of a website where more information about environmentalism can be found, an email address for suggestions, and information about how the jewelry was manufactured.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the provided figures.
Turning now to
PSM is an abbreviation for Plastarch Material that is biodegradable resin made from corn starch. It is designed to supplement or even replace conventional petroleum based plastics. PSM is derived from natural agricultural resources and ensure characteristics and performance just like conventional plastic material, but without risking pollution or the need for waste disposal. At the same time, they guarantee to save energy, reduce the use of new resources and biodegrade naturally and safety, without harming our environment. PSM products are stable in the atmosphere. They are biodegradable in compost, wet soil, fresh water, seawater and activated sludge where micro-organisms exist. It will be 62.1% biodegraded in 81 days and fully biodegraded in about 270 days. The table below illustrates the composition of a typical PSM with the ingredients identified by common name as well as CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) Registry Number.
Returning now to
The bracelet 10 is preferably packaged in a clear envelope 18 which is also made from cornstarch based resin. The envelope is sealed about its periphery 20 and a hole 22 is punched in one corner of the envelope. A hang tag 24 is attached to the envelope with organic hemp string 26 which passes through the hole 22 and a similar hole 28 which is punched into the tag 24. The hang tag is made from unbleached post-consumer waste recycled paper and is printed with a soy based ink. The hang tag preferably is imprinted with environmental messages, the address of a website where more information about environmentalism can be found, an email address for suggestions, and information about how the jewelry was manufactured. Preferably, the tag 24 is folded along edge 30 so that it opens to reveal two inner “pages” as well as two outer pages.
There have been described and illustrated herein several embodiments of jewelry made from biodegradable and/or recycled materials. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto, as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as claimed.
