Mourning and Memorial Jewelry and Methods of Manufacture

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to jewelry and methods for manufacturing metallic jewelry. The present invention relates more specifically to jewelry items manufactured from various types of metal implants recovered from deceased individuals for the purpose of providing memorial and/or mourning remembrance items for the survivors of the deceased.

2. Description of the Related Art

Those that have suffered the loss of a family member or friend frequently seek to have some object or item that may be retained after the burial or cremation of the deceased, as a mourning or memorial token by which to acknowledge and remember the deceased individual. In the past, such memorial items have varied from a simple biographical prayer card with information about the deceased, to small portions of the cremated remains of the individual. For the most part, such items are easily put away and often forgotten.

Certainly, objects that belonged to the deceased, including items of jewelry, can be treasured mementos for the survivors, as can other owned sentimental items that may be handled down. Items of jewelry can be especially treasured because they can be worn by the individual surviving the deceased and in this manner feel as though they continue to hold the deceased close in their daily lives. Unfortunately, such previously owned items of jewelry are not always available, often being part of the estate of the deceased that is not distributed for quite some time after death. In addition, these previous owned items of jewelry often do not truly represent the individual deceased to the survivors. Often the item of owned jewelry is of a type that the survivor desiring a memorial or mourning item would not choose to wear. Relying on inheritance of an item is a less than perfect solution to the problem

As indicated above, efforts have been made in the past to utilize cremation remains in the production of new objects for the purpose of memorializing or mourning the individual deceased. Efforts have also been made in the past to encapsulate some portion of the deceased individual, most commonly strands of hair that may be framed or otherwise displayed. Creating memorial objects from cremation remains, however, assumes the deceased individual is being cremated and typically ends with objects that are not immediately discernable as to source or connection to the deceased. Methods for encapsulating some part of the deceased individual such as their hair, or other bone and tissue remains, can also be complex and costly. In addition, current social norms generally frown upon the use of a deceased individual's tissue, other than the common use of strands of hair, as visible objects to memorialize the individual.

It would therefore be desirable to have a method for producing an item of memorial and/or mourning character that is directly associated with the deceased individual so that the survivors of the deceased may retain the item indefinitely, and hold the item in such a manner as to connect them to the deceased individual on a daily basis. It would be desirable if such an item of memorial and/or mourning character was directly associated with the deceased individual and not simply an object that incorporates cremated remains. It would be desirable for such a memorial and/or mourning item to be created into the form of an item of jewelry, particularly a metal based jewelry item, so that it might be regularly worn by the individual receiving it.

In fulfillment of these and further objectives, the present invention provides memorial and mourning jewelry and various methods for manufacturing the same. The methods of the present invention solve the problems associated with providing survivors with objects connected to the deceased that are readily produced and may be held close as a daily remembrance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention therefore provides an array of mourning and memorial jewelry items as well as general and specific methods for their manufacture. The manufacturing methods of the present invention utilize metal implant materials from deceased individuals to create items of jewelry for the retention and use of the survivors of the deceased. The general method of the invention includes a planning process that discerns the type of metal implants available for use and identifies the type of jewelry item desired by the survivor of the deceased.

Between the available implant materials and the desired items of jewelry, the planning process establishes a preferred method for manufacture, taking into consideration the size and shape of the available implant objects, as well as the size and structure of the desired item of jewelry. The jewelry items produced are generally categorized as either unitary pieces of jewelry or jewelry “stones”. The implant materials are generally characterized and categorized according to a preferred method for transforming the implant object into the item of jewelry. Depending on the metal composition, the individual geometry of the implant, and the total weight or volume of implant metal material, the process will involve machining, annealing or forging, and/or melting and casting. After establishing the parameters for transformation of the implant material into the item of mourning/memorial jewelry, the preferred method of transformation is implemented and results in either the finished item of jewelry or a metallic “stone”, pendant, or charm that maybe set into a traditional jewelry setting. The methods involve characterization of size, shape, and quantity of implant metal available, and match the available objects with specific manufacturing processes and desired end results.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A & 1B are schematic diagrams showing the progression of the manufacturing process for representative jewelry items derived from typical metal implant and prosthetic materials.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the process steps in the overall method of producing mourning/memorial jewelry from a range of metal implant materials into a range of jewelry types.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the process steps associated with the method of producing a unitary piece of j ewelry through a machining process.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the process steps associated with the method of producing a jewelry “stone” through a machining process.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process steps associated with the method of producing a unitary piece of jewelry through an annealing and/or forging process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the process steps associated with the method of producing a jewelry “stone” through an annealing and/or forging process.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the process steps associated with the method of producing a unitary piece of jewelry through a melting and casting process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the process steps associated with the method of producing a jewelry “stone” through a melting and casting process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is made first to FIGS. 1A & 1B for a detailed description of representative examples of the methods of the present invention for producing mourning/memorial jewelry items from original metal implant materials. It should be recognized that the original implant materials shown in FIGS. 1A & 1B are merely representative of a wide range of different types of implant materials that are described in more detail below. Likewise, the finished pieces of jewelry shown in FIGS. 1A & 1B are also merely representative of the range of jewelry items that might be produced from the wide range of implant materials utilizing the basic methods of the present invention. Additional types of jewelry items are identified and described below in connection with a detailed description of the various method steps involved. FIGS. 1A & 1B are, therefore, not to be considered as limiting of either the type of original implant material or the type of jewelry item manufactured.

In FIG. 1A original implant 10 represents one of the larger types of metal implant structures capable of being used in connection with the methods of the present invention. The example shown in FIG. 1A is typical of the implant structure used in a partial hip replacement wherein the metal structure (the Austin Moore prosthesis and Thompson prosthesis are common examples) wherein the single metal implant comprises a unitary structure made up of a stem, a neck, and a head portion of the implant. Such implants are typically constructed of titanium metal, although other metals and alloys can be used. This type of implant lends itself to a wide range of applications using the methods of the present invention.

The first step in each method will generally involve structuring the best starting element for the specific item of jewelry that is to be created. In this case, original implant 10 is cut into three starting components that have a geometry generally appropriate for the various end product jewelry items intended. A first implant portion 12 in this case comprises the head of the hip replacement implant. A second implant portion 14 comprises the neck section of the hip replacement implant 10. A third implant portion 16 comprises the stem portion of the original hip implant 10.

First implant portion 12 presents the largest solid, three dimensional structure from which to create a wide range of jewelry “stones” that may be placed on or set in a wide range of jewelry settings, such as rings. To begin the process of producing the finished “stones”, stone blanks 18a & 18b are preferably cut from first implant portion 12. Stone blanks 18a & 18b may then be reduced and formed by machining methods into spherical stone 30a, as an example, and/or faceted stone 30b as a further example. The finished stones 30a & 30b may then be set into existing jewelry settings, such as rings, brooches, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and the like that are themselves not necessarily made from the implant metal materials. The resultant finished rings 32 & 34 (as an example in FIG. 1A) are but a few different ways in which a manufactured “stone” may be incorporated into a finished piece of mourning/memorial jewelry according to the methods of the present invention. Any type of jewelry that might traditionally receive a stone as an ornament to the finished jewelry item lends itself to this first method of creating mourning/memorial jewelry.

The second implant portion 14 shown in FIG. 1A has a geometry that lends itself to the creation of a ring by way of a relatively simple and straightforward drilling and machining process. Second implant portion 14 is first reduced, by cutting and machining, into ring blank 20. Ring blank 20 is then drilled to form drilled ring blank 26, sized and shaped in the basic geometry of the jewelry item desired. Drilled ring blank 26 is thereafter further machined, ground, and burnished to form finished ring 36, which may itself be further sized according to the ring size of the intended wearer.

Third implant portion 16 as shown in FIG. 1A lends itself to the creation of band type jewelry products, given its length and thickness. Third implant portion 16 may first be cut down into band blank 22 by typical metal saw methods. Band blank 22 may then be further reduced by cutting and machining into cut reduced blank 28. Because titanium metal can be brittle at room temperature, it may preferable to hot forge cut reduced blank 28 to bend and shape the blank into a finished band bracelet 38 as shown. Other types of metal derived from other types of implants may not require hot forging in order to produce the finished band bracelet 38 shown in FIG. 1A. As described in more detail in the method steps below, the manner of manufacture for a particular item of jewelry is dependent not only on the initial geometry of the implant material, but also the metal material structure and the necessity of hot forging where appropriate.

Reference is next made to FIG. 1B which provides a second overall example of the manner of using a typical implant plate to create a wide range of mourning/memorial jewelry items. In FIG. 1B original implant plate 40 is a simple T-shaped plate that might be used to secure bone sections together after a fracture. Implant screws 42 are typically used in connection with implant plate 40 in order to secure the plate to the bone fragments and allow the healing to occur. Even though the bone structures may heal, it is typically not important to remove and retrieve the implant plates in a living individual, and as such these remain and are available as the metal materials appropriate for producing mourning/memorial jewelry from the deceased individual.

In FIG. 1B original implant plate 40 and implant screws 42 make up smaller items of implant metal material with which to start the jewelry manufacturing process. While some components of implant plate 40 are large enough to for smaller jewelry items, often the smaller components lend themselves best to being melted and molded into new blanks from which the items of jewelry may be machined or forged. In FIG. 1B a long section of implant plate 40 is cut off to produce implant plate portion 44. Implant plate portion 44 may be cold forged to lengthen, thin, and shape the metal component into cold forged band 48. Typically, cold forged band 48 is of a length that is appropriate to create finger rings and other ring-type items of jewelry (toe rings, earrings, etc.). This creation of a ring from a small band results in finished cold forged band ring 52 shown in FIG. 1B. In contrast to the drilled ring structure shown in FIG. 1A, cold forged band ring 52 shown in FIG. 1B may be adjusted by size by modifying the length of cold forged band 48 and/or providing overlap of the ends of the band upon creation of the ring.

Many smaller components derived from implant materials lend themselves best to melting and recasting as new items of jewelry. Smaller implant component 46 shown in FIG. 1B derived primarily from implant screws 42 and a smaller portion of implant plate 40 may be collected and placed into a melting furnace 50 to produce a molten metal which can form the basis of newly cast jewelry items. The molten metal may be made up of only the metals derived from the smaller implant components 46 or may be supplemented by additional metals precious and non-precious) depending upon the implant metal and the type of jewelry item desired. In the basic embodiment of the method of the present invention, however, it is preferable that the melted metal be made up solely of the smaller implant components as shown and described.

A wide variety of metal molds 54 may be utilized to create the new jewelry items from the melted metal produced by this method. Metal mold 54 shown in FIG. 1B provides three simple examples of ingots that may be produced from the molten metal in a manner typical in metallurgy. In this case, the molding process produces a number of rough spheres 56, a rough disc ingot 58, and a rough heart shaped ingot 60. From each of these rough components, the above described machining processes may be implemented to produce the various specific items of jewelry. In the case of rough spheres 56, finished earrings 62 in this case utilize standard earring hooks that may be secured to the finished spherical jewelry elements to form the finished earrings as shown. Finished pendant or charm 64 may be constructed from rough disc 58 with further machining of the disc ingot or engraving as desired. A standard jewelry connector may secure the pendant or charm to a typical necklace chain or bracelet chain. Likewise, finished pendant or charm 56 may be created by further machining and burnishing rough pendant 60 (heart shaped) and thereafter secured to a necklace setting or other type of pendant or charm setting typical in the jewelry industry.

There is a wide variety of different types of metal objects that are designed to be implanted within the human body or used to replace body parts, internally or externally. The following is a representative list of sources of metal for use in the methods of the present invention. This list is not meant to be exhaustive of appropriate sources of metal but rather is intended to suggest the wide range of possibilities. Appropriate sources include: metal mesh plates from the head; metal plates in the head; anterior cervical plates; artificial cervical discs; interbody cages; metal spacers; bipolar metal radial head implants; magnesium alloy fixation plates; femoral metal stem implants; metal heads from prosthetic hip implants; bone screws; Steinman pins; pins; staples; Knowles pins; drummers wire; front threaded pins; centrally threaded pins; suture wire; Kirschner wires; orthopedic implants; cannulated screws; cortical screws; cancellous screws; shaft screws; interference screws; metal teeth caps and fillings; pacemaker components; spine rods; and artificial limbs containing metal.

Reference is next made to FIGS. 2-8 for detailed descriptions of the methods associated with implementation of the present invention. Although a wide variety of implant materials are available for use with the methods of the present invention, and a wide variety of jewelry items are capable of being produced with the methods of the present invention, there are specific procedures that implement the basic method steps in a common manner where certain preferred types of implant materials are available, and where certain preferred types of jewelry items are of interest. The following descriptions therefore provide the common method steps for identifying and selecting the implant material available, choosing the jewelry item to be produced, and selecting the method of manufacture appropriate for the implant material and the final jewelry item product.

Reference is made first to FIG. 2 which provides a flowchart showing the process steps in the overall method of producing mourning/memorial jewelry for a range of metal implant materials and for a range of jewelry types. The method steps in FIG. 2 generally provide the approach to planning the production of the jewelry item based upon the available materials. Mourning/memorial jewelry method of manufacture Process 100 therefore begins at Step 102 wherein the characteristics of the available implant materials are determined. This includes Step 104 determining the metal composition of the implant material available, Step 106 identifying the individual geometry of the available implant material, and Step 108 where a measure of the total weight and volume of the implant material is made.

With the characteristics of the available implant material determined, the process proceeds to Step 110 where the parameters of the possible jewelry types are set. As will be seen in more detail below, certain types of implants lend themselves to use in connection with certain types of jewelry items and certain methods of manufacture. The selection process is based upon the metrics of the implant material as determined in Step 102.

After the parameters for possible jewelry types are set, the process proceeds to Step 112 where limits on the total jewelry volume/quantities are determined. It is anticipated that for a given deceased individual, multiple family members or friends may have an interest in acquiring a mourning/memorial piece of jewelry. Therefore, the overall quantity of available metal must be measured against the jewelry items of interest to the family and friends of the deceased.

Once the parameters have been determined as indicated above, the individual type of jewelry item and the appropriate process for producing it are selected. Initially, at query Step 114 it is determined whether a particular item of jewelry will comprise a “stone” or a unitary piece of jewelry. As described above, one method of the present invention is to create a metal object or “stone” from the implant material, and then place the “stone” in a conventional jewelry piece or setting. The creation of a “stone” as opposed to an entire piece of jewelry allows much smaller implant objects to be utilized in the methods of the present invention. On the other hand, the overall preference may be to produce the entire piece of jewelry from the implant material without need to include a conventional jewelry setting. If at query Step 114 the parameters for the implant permit a unitary piece to be produced, the process proceeds to Step 116. On the other hand, if the parameters or the interest of the individuals receiving the jewelry, suggest the creation of a “stone”, then the process proceeds to Step 118.

For the production of a unitary piece of jewelry (as well as for the production of a “stone” to be set in a conventional setting), there are three basic types of processes available for the creation of the mourning/memorial jewelry. These three basic processes are machining, annealing/forging, and melting/casting. For a unitary piece of jewelry, it is determined at query Step 116 whether machining is the best option for production. Machining, of course, requires less work in general, and its use is based on both the geometry of the implant available, and on the size and type of the jewelry item of interest. If machining is the most appropriate process, then the procedure moves by way of Connector A at Step 120 to the unitary piece of jewelry machining process shown in FIG. 3. If machining is not the preferred process, query Step 124 determines if annealing and/or forging is a more appropriate production process. If so, the method proceeds by way of Connector C at Step 128 to the unitary piece jewelry annealing/forging process shown in FIG. 5.

Finally, for a unitary piece of jewelry, if neither machining nor annealing/forging is an appropriate process, then at query Step 132 it is determined whether the item of jewelry might best be manufactured by melting and casting. If so, the method proceeds through Connector E at Step 136 to unitary piece jewelry melting and casting process as shown in FIG. 7. If melting and casting at query Step 132 is not the most appropriate manufacturing process, then the user must reevaluate the available materials and identify alternate methods for utilization of the available implant at Step 140. This may take the user from the unitary piece of jewelry selection process to the use of a “stone” to be set in a conventional jewelry setting, often based on the unavailability of large enough implant objects.

Back at query Step 114, if it is determined that a “stone” is the most appropriate or the desired object to be created from the implant material, then the process proceeds to query Step 118 where, as with the unitary piece of jewelry, it is determined whether machining the “stone” from the implant material is the most appropriate production method. If so, the process proceeds through Connector B at Step 122 to jewelry “stone” machining process shown in FIG. 4. If machining is not the most appropriate method, then query Step 126 determines if annealing and/or forging is an appropriate production method for the “stone” to be created. If so, the process proceeds through Connector D at Step 130 to jewelry “stone” annealing/forging process shown in FIG. 6.

Finally, if neither machining nor annealing/forging is an appropriate method for production, query Step 134 determines if melting and casting is an appropriate and suitable method for creating the jewelry “stone”. If so, the process proceeds through Connector F at Step 138 to jewelry “stone” melting and casting process shown in FIG. 8.

The basic methods for creating a mourning/memorial item of jewelry are therefore grouped into the six categories shown in FIGS. 3-8. FIG. 3, reached by way of Connector A at Step 120, provides Process 300 for the unitary piece jewelry machining process as introduced above. The first Step 310 in this process involves a selection of the type of unitary jewelry item to be produced. Such an item in a machining process might preferably be a ring, pendant, charm, earring, or other solid and machineable shape, easily forming a typical jewelry item in one of these categories. Reference is made back to FIGS. 1A & 1B for examples of this type of unitary jewelry item machined from select implant materials.

Step 312 involves a determination of the jewelry item's size and geometry, which provides, for example, more specific information on ring size, the number of multiple earrings, a number of charms, etc. The process then proceeds at Step 314 to carry out the machining process for producing a unitary jewelry item from a single piece of implant material. Step 316 involves cutting a starter piece from the overall implant, and Step 318 initiates a rough cut and drill (as appropriate) process to produce an item blank. Step 320 involves grinding the item blank into a finished shape, and Step 322 completes this process by burnishing the jewelry item surfaces. Optional Step 324 involves engraving memorial information on the item of jewelry as is traditional with many different types of conventional jewelry pieces.

At this stage of the process, if the item is a ring, it is generally complete and the process proceeds to Step 328 for completion of the jewelry manufacture. If the item is a type of jewelry that is to be attached to a conventional jewelry structure, such as a necklace, a bracelet, or earring hooks, then at Step 326 conventional components are typically used to attach the pendant, charm, earring, etc. to the conventional jewelry necklace, bracelet, or earring hook.

Reference is next made to FIG. 4 which describes a production process similar in many respects to the unitary piece of jewelry machining process shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 represents the machining process where the goal is to produce a jewelry “stone” rather than a unitary piece of jewelry. The Process 400 is reached after the necessary planning parameters have been decided on (see FIG. 2) and proceeds at Step 410 where the jewelry setting is selected. Because this process produces only a “stone”, it is anticipated that the result will be set in a conventional type of jewelry setting. This might be a ring, a necklace, a bracelet, a pair of earrings, etc. Step 412 involves a selection of the “stone” size and geometry and a determination of whether there is to be a single or multiple “stones”. “Stones” may, of course, be any solid geometric shape from a sphere to a multi-faceted solid. As suggested above in FIGS. 1A & 1B, it may be preferable for the “stone” to imitate the types of precious or semi-precious stones that are traditionally found in various items of jewelry. Everything from spherical shapes such as those seen with pearls and the like, to the wide variety of precious and semi-precious stones with faceted cuts as are seen in traditional precious and semi-precious stone jewelry items.

Once the “stone” size and geometry have been determined, the process proceeds at Step 414 to machine each “stone” according to the specified parameters. Step 416 involves cutting a starter piece from the overall implant material. Step 418 involves rough cutting one or more “stone” blanks from the starter piece. Step 420 involves grinding the “stone” blank into a finished “stone” shape, while Step 422 involves burnishing the “stone” surfaces as preferred.

Once each “stone” is produced in the above method, the setting is prepared at Step 424 and one or more of the “stones” are secured into the setting, again in the manner traditionally utilized with precious or semi-precious stones. As with a unitary piece of jewelry, Step 426 provides the option of engraving memorial information on the jewelry item, or in some cases, actually on the “stone” that has been produced. With or without engraving, the process finishes at Step 428 with the completion of the jewelry manufacture.

Reference is next made to FIGS. 5 & 6 for jewelry production methods defined by an annealing and/or forging process. FIG. 5 shows Process 500 production of a unitary piece of jewelry with the annealing/forging process steps. As before, the first Step 510 the process involves the selection of the type of unitary jewelry item (ring, bracelet, pendant, earrings, etc.) that is to be produced. Again, the size and geometry of the unitary piece of jewelry is determined at Step 512 comprising a determination of a ring size, bracelet size, etc. The actual production occurs at Step 514 with the annealing and/or forging of the unitary jewelry item. Step 516 involves cutting a starter piece from the overall implant material, while Step 518 involves rough cutting the starter piece to form an item blank. Finally, the pre-forged shape of the piece is ground at Step 520.

Different types of metal, of course, require different types of annealing and/or forging. Some metals lend themselves to cold forge, while others require heat (annealing) and hot forging. Query Step 521 makes a determination based on the previously identified type of implant material whether to proceed with cold forge or hot forge. Step 522 proceeds with the cold forge process, which simply involves the hammering and bending or shaping of the pre-forged item shape into the form required for the selected type of jewelry. At Step 528 the forged object is cleaned and burnished before the optional Step 530 of engraving memorial information on the jewelry item is carried out. The cold forge process is completed at Step 532.

Hot forging begins at Step 524 where the item blank is first heated, or annealed, before the hammering, bending, and shaping the object occurs at Step 526. As with cold forging, the item of jewelry after forging is cleaned and burnished at Step 528, followed by the optional Step 530 of engraving memorial information on the item. With hot forging, the process is likewise completed at Step 532.

FIG. 6 represents Process 600 production of a jewelry “stone” through an annealing and or forging process. Step 610 again involves the selection of the jewelry setting, followed by Step 612 which involves the selection of the “stone” size and geometry. The process of annealing and forging each “stone” at Step 614 is on the whole a simpler process, given that the object will have a less complex geometry. Step 616 involves cutting a starter piece from the overall implant object, followed by Step 618 which involves rough cutting the “stone” blanks for forging. As with the unitary piece of jewelry process, query Step 620 determines whether cold forging or hot forging is the most appropriate method. Cold forging occurs at Step 622 with the hammering and shaping of the “stone” blank. While the preference is for hand forging in each case, it is anticipated that some machine forged “stones” could be more easily produced. This would apply to both cold forging and hot forging methods. If hot forging is the chosen method, Step 624 involves heating, or annealing, the “stone” blank followed by Step 626 which involves hammering, bending, or simply shaping the “stone”.

Whether cold forged or hot forged, the “stone” is then cleaned and burnished at Step 628. The setting is prepared at Step 630 with one or more of the “stones” secured into the setting, again as with the setting of traditional precious or semi-precious stones. An optional process of engraving the jewelry is provided at Step 632, with both the cold forging process and the hot forging process of forming a jewelry “stone” completed at Step 634.

FIGS. 7 & 8 describe the methods associated with creating jewelry items through melting and casting methods. In general, it is anticipated that the wearer of the mourning/memorial item of jewelry would prefer to receive an item formed “directly” from the implant object. Some implants, however, simply do not lend themselves to machining or forging to produce the desired type of jewelry. This may occur when the desired jewelry item requires more metal than is available in the type of implants being utilized, or where more individuals are requesting mourning/memorial items of jewelry. Some types of implant material, such as screws, bolts, rods, and plates, do not lend themselves to direct transformation into an attractive item of jewelry. The process suitable in such instances is, therefore, melting and casting the jewelry items from the conglomerate whole of the available implant material.

Once again, it is important to factor the metal composition (see Step 104 in FIG. 2) into the process of selecting the type of manufacture used to produce the item. Some types of implant materials may be made up of metals with melting point temperatures that are not generally achievable with typical jewelry metal melting furnace equipment and are routinely melted only with industrial type ovens. Once again, both the desired type of jewelry and type of metal available will factor into a determination of the process to be implemented.

FIG. 7 shows Process 700 for producing a unitary piece of jewelry through a melting and casting sequence of steps. Initially, at Step 710 the unitary jewelry item type is selected, again, relating back to the amount of implant material available. Step 712 involves determining the jewelry item size and geometry, much as before in the previously described methods. Step 714 involves the primary process of melting the implant metal objects to begin the production process. Step 716 involves the process of cutting and collecting implant metal pieces of the size preferred in the art of melting and casting. Step 718 involves the optional step of supplementing the implant metal pieces with additional non-implant metal objects and pieces. Although it is likely preferred that the mourning/memorial item of jewelry be as close as possible to a direct reduction of the implant, it may be necessary or desirable to add outside metals to form alloys to supplement the implant metals in order to produce either larger quantities of molten metal to work with, or to produce an appropriately malleable alloy that can be more easily worked. In any case, Step 720 involves melting and optionally alloying the metals collected.

Step 722 involves the overall process of casting the unitary jewelry item with Step 724 initially involving the selection of the casting method and form. As indicated above, there are a number of different ways in which molten metal may be cast into either rough forms or detailed forms for use as jewelry items. Step 726 involves casting the molten metals according to the selected casting method, while Step 728 involves cleaning and burnishing the casting. Once again, an optional engraving Step 730 is provided to inscribe the casted jewelry as desired. Step 732 involves attaching the unitary jewelry item to a chain (such as for a necklace or bracelet), or to earring hooks. In this regard, the method of casting a unitary piece of jewelry overlaps the process shown in FIG. 8 for casting a jewelry “stone”. The process for producing a unitary piece of jewelry by melting and casting is completed at Step 734.

Reference is finally made to FIG. 8 which describes the simplest, although perhaps most indirect, method of producing a mourning/memorial piece of jewelry. Jewelry “stone” melting and casting Process 800 begins as with the previous “stone” producing methods, with the selection of a particular jewelry setting at Step 810. Step 812 involves the selection of the “stone” size and geometry as before. As with the unitary piece of jewelry melting and casting process, the actual production occurs at Step 814 with the melting of the implant metals. Step 816 involves cutting and collecting the implant metal pieces, while Step 818 involves the optional addition of other types of metal to be melted and alloyed with the implant metal. Step 820 involves the actual melting of the metals and alloys selected.

Step 822 involves the overall process of casting each “stone” from the melted metal. Step 824 again involves the selection of the particular casting method and form most appropriate for the “stone” size and shape. Step 826 involves casting the molten metals, and Step 828 involves cleaning and burnishing the cast “stones”.

It is recognized that with any melting and casting process, whether it be for a unitary piece of jewelry, or for a jewelry “stone”, the end product may be subjected to additional machining and/or forging according to one of the above described methods before the unitary item of jewelry is completed or the “stone” is set in a traditional setting. As is known to those skilled in the art, the process of casting can result in a “stone” that requires no further finishing before being set in an item of jewelry, or could require further finishing by machining or forging as might be preferred.

In either case, the process shown in FIG. 8 proceeds at Step 830 where the setting is prepared and one or more “stones” are secured to the setting. Step 832 once again involves the option of engraving memorial information on the item of jewelry and the overall process of creating a jewelry “stone” from the melting and casting method is completed at Step 834.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of the foregoing preferred embodiments, this description has been provided by way of explanation only, and is not intended to be construed as a limitation of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize modifications in the present invention that might accommodate specific implant configurations and metals. In addition, the examples provided in the above detailed descriptions focus on internal implants first and external prostheses second even though no preference for one over the other is suggested. A wide variety of artificial limbs provide a more than adequate resource for metal appropriate for use with the methods of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that jewelry items created according to the methods of the present invention may themselves act as settings for either metal “stones” or traditional precious/semi-precious stones. Such modifications as to structure, method, and even the specific order of steps, where such modifications are coincidental to the implant structure or composition, do not necessarily depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Mourning and Memorial Jewelry and Methods of Manufacture

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