The invention disclosed relates to a fastening suitable for a personal ornament, which comprises a male member (A) and a female member (B); the male member (A) including a base plate 21 on which a projecting portion 22 is provided; the female member (B) including a casing 23 which has a base plate 25 and an upstanding edge 26 formed by bending a marginal portion of the base plate 25. The base plate 25 has an opening 24 which can receive the projecting portion 22, and the upstanding edge 26 has an opening 27 through which an ornament-fitting portion 30 of a ring plate 28 may be projected outwards. The ring plate 28 has an opening 29 whose diameter is larger than that of the opening 24 of the base plate 25. The ring plate 28 has the ornament-fitting portion 30 in the form of a projection. The ring plate 28 is placed in the casing 23 in such a manner that the ornament-fitting portion 30 projects through the opening 27. A ring-like cover plate 31 is placed on the upper surface of the ring plate 28. The cover plate 31 has an opening 32 whose diameter is virtually the same as that of the opening 24 of the base plate 25. A partially opened annular spring 34 is placed on a recess channel which is defined by the upper surface of the base plate 25 of the casing 23, by the internal wall of the ring plate 28, which wall surrounds the opening 29, and by the lower surface of the ring-like cover plate 31, whereby the spring 34 is disposed on the recess channel in such a position that an internal portion of the spring 34 is present in an internal area of the openings 24 and 32. The upstanding edge 26 of the casing 23 is bent inwards to fix the ring-like cover plate 31.
Unlike conventional snap fasteners, this clasp's mechanism temporarily locks to prevent opening by accidental forces which apply unevenly and tilt the socket against the elongated stud that passes through and beyond the socket. Designed for general use, it is especially valuable for bracelets. While accidental opening is virtually impossible, stud and socket support-bodies make intentional opening easy, with one hand. With bracelet between them, middle and index fingers hold the socket support-body on opposite edges, without blocking stud movement, while thumb pressure is applied to the protruding end of the stud to eject it and open the clasp. This procedure keeps axes of stud and socket sufficiently aligned to avoid the locking effect, and automatically leaves the wearer holding the socket side of the clasp to avoid dropping the bracelet. The support-body means of attachment makes pull from chain or bracelet substantially perpendicular to clasp's opening direction.
Apparatus using two parts to connect the ends of a flexible member for attaching jewelry to the person. The connected ends of flexible members under tension always extend outward directly opposite to each other, and always have the same predetermined orientation with respect to their connector. The connection of the two parts of this apparatus can only be made or broken by a force between the parts which is essentially perpendicular to the orientation of the flexible member ends under tension, where one direction of the force connects the parts, and the opposite direction of the force disconnects the parts.
