Method for crimping a stone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10743625-B2
Application number	US-201816140852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2018
Priority date	Nov 7, 2017
Publication date	Aug 18, 2020
Grant date	Aug 18, 2020

Abstract

A method for assembling a stone on a setting support, the stone being cut to exhibit a table, a crown, a girdle and a pavilion. A substrate with a recess for the stone, the recess forming, between the substrate and the stone, a peripheral free space in the vicinity of the girdle and of the zones of the crown and of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle, the peripheral free space including a bottom having a conductive surface. Electroplating, in the peripheral free space, a metal layer in the vicinity of the girdle and of the zones of the crown and of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle, so as to confine the girdle in the metal layer to form, around the girdle, the setting support. The stone and its setting support are released from the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for assembling a stone on a setting support, said stone being cut to exhibit a table, a crown, a girdle and a pavilion, the assembly method comprising the following steps:
a) providing a substrate comprising at least one recess and then positioning said stone in said recess, said recess being arranged to form, between the substrate and said stone, a peripheral free space at least in a vicinity of the girdle and of zones of the crown and of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle, said peripheral free space comprising a bottom having a conductive surface;
b) depositing, by electroplating in said peripheral free space, a metal layer at least in the vicinity of the girdle and of the zones of the crown and of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle, so as to confine said girdle in said metal layer to form said setting support;
c) releasing said stone and its setting support from the substrate, wherein the substrate and its recess are produced according to the following steps:
d) providing the substrate having a conductive surface layer and producing at least one through-hole in said substrate;
e) covering the substrate with a photosensitive resin layer and forming, by photolithography in the photosensitive resin, a cavity, the dimensions of which, in a plane of the substrate are greater than the dimensions of the girdle of the stone, so that the cavity comprises a central opening corresponding to the through-hole and a peripheral zone comprising resin side walls and a bottom occupied by the conductive layer of the substrate around the through-hole,
the dimensions of the cavity and of the through-hole forming said recess being selected so that the pavilion of the stone is partially housed in the through-hole, so as to rest on the periphery of the central opening of the cavity, a remainder of the pavilion above the through-hole defining the zone of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle, and so that a remainder of the stone between said zone of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle and at least up to a level of the zone of the crown contiguous to the girdle is housed in the cavity, so as to form, between the stone and the walls of the cavity, said peripheral free space.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the dimensions of the cavity and of the through-hole are selected so that the pavilion of the stone is practically fully housed in the through-hole, so that the zone of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle only extends directly below the girdle, and the zone of the crown contiguous to the girdle only extends directly above the girdle, so as to form, between the stone and the walls of the cavity, substantially in the vicinity of the girdle and of said zones of the crown and of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle, said peripheral free space.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the height of the recess is such that the table of the stone exceeds said recess.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising, between steps a) and b), a step f of correcting the orientation of the stone.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein step f) comprises bringing the table of the stone into contact with a repositioning device for repositioning the stone in its recess.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein it comprises further comprising, between steps f and b), a step g) of setting the pavilion of the stone in the through-hole.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein step g) is followed by a step h) of removing the repositioning device.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the repositioning device includes a rigid plate covered with a deformable sheet or foam.

9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein step g) includes introducing, though an open inlet of the through-hole, a retention adhesive around the pavilion of the stone.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metal layer deposited during step b) is made of a material selected from the group consisted of nickel, gold, silver, platinum, rhodium, palladium, copper and the alloys thereof.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step e) comprises the use of a negative photosensitive resin, with UV irradiation of the photosensitive resin layer through a mask corresponding to a profile of the setting support, and removal of a non-irradiated part of the photosensitive resin layer, so as to obtain said cavity, a profile of which corresponds to the profile of the setting support.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is based on a material selected from the group consisted of silicon, a ceramic, a glass and a quartz.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the through-hole is produced in said substrate by laser ablation.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the releasing includes removing the substrate by dissolution.

15. A method for crimping a stone on an element of a timekeeping or jewelry part, comprising:
assembling a stone on a setting support, said stone being cut to exhibit a table, a crown, a girdle and a pavilion, the assembling the stone on the setting support comprising the following steps:
a) providing a substrate comprising at least one recess and then positioning said stone in said recess, said recess being arranged to form, between the substrate and said stone, a peripheral free space at least in a vicinity of the girdle and of zones of the crown and of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle, said peripheral free space comprising a bottom having a conductive surface;
b) depositing, by electroplating in said peripheral free space, a metal layer at least in the vicinity of the girdle and of the zones of the crown and of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle, so as to confine said girdle in said metal layer to form said setting support;
c) releasing said stone and its setting support from the substrate,
wherein the substrate and its recess are produced according to the following steps:
d) providing the substrate having a conductive surface layer and producing at least one through-hole in said substrate;
e) covering the substrate with a photosensitive resin layer and forming, by photolithography in the photosensitive resin, a cavity, the dimensions of which, in a plane of the substrate, are greater than the dimensions of the girdle of the stone, so that the cavity comprises a central opening corresponding to the through-hole and a peripheral zone comprising resin side walls and a bottom occupied by the conductive layer of the substrate around the through-hole,
the dimensions of the cavity and of the through-hole forming said recess being selected so that the pavilion of the stone is partially housed in the through-hole, so as to rest on the periphery of the central opening of the cavity, a remainder of the pavilion above the through-hole defining the zone of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle, and so that a remainder of the stone between said zone of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle and at least up to a level of the zone of the crown contiguous to the girdle is housed in the cavity, so as to form, between the stone and the walls of the cavity, said peripheral free space and

assembling the stone and the setting support on a setting added to the element of a timekeeping or jewelry part or directly on the element of a timekeeping or jewelry part.

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Bourban Stewes
• Grossenbacher Pascal
• Martin Jean-Claude
• Spassov Vladislav
• Barron Cecile
• Blaser Lionel
• Caloz Yann
• Gernez Cyrille
• Lauper Stephane
• Odeh Ahmad
• Springer Simon

Classifications

• G04B47/042

  Fastening of jewels and the like (set on or into numbers G04B19/103; jewel bearings G04B31/008; setting of jewels and tools therefor A44C; devices for setting jewel bearings G04D3/04) · CPC title

• C25D5/022

  using masking means · CPC title

• C25D1/003

  3D structures, e.g. superposed patterned layers · CPC title

• C25D7/005

  Jewels; Clockworks; Coins · CPC title

• A44C27/00

  Making jewellery or other personal adornments · CPC title