Reconfigurable jewelry

Abstract

A jewelry piece employs interchangeable jewelry segments having features that allow the segments to be interchanged, replaced, reversed, removed and/or combined in various ways to provide a variety of different looks. The jewelry segments retain the visual appeal that is so important in such a fashion conscious industry, even when combined in various ways to provide a variety of different looks.

1 . A jewelry piece comprising at least one nestable segment, wherein the at least one nestable segment includes at least one through hole and at least one periphery configured to substantially match a periphery associated with at least one different nestable segment such that the at least one nestable segment alone, or in combination with the at least one different nestable segment, forms the jewelry piece, and wherein when combined, the at least one nestable segment and the at least one different nestable segment are nestable with each other. 
     
     
         2 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one nestable segment is configured to be reversible. 
     
     
         3 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one through hole is configured to receive an attachment mechanism such that the attachment mechanism passes through the at least one through hole and a corresponding through hole associated with the at least one different nestable segment when more than one nestable segment is employed to form the piece of jewelry. 
     
     
         4 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 3 , wherein the at least one through hole associated with the at least one nestable segment corresponds one-for-one with the at least one through hole associated with each other segment comprising the jewelry piece. 
     
     
         5 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 3 , wherein the attachment mechanism comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a chain, a string, a wire, a flexible filament, and a rigid filament. 
     
     
         6 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 3 , wherein the attachment mechanism is devoid of mounting hardware used to mount the attachment mechanism to the nestable segment. 
     
     
         7 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 1 , wherein the nestable segment is formed of at least one element selected from the group consisting of metal, plastic, wood, and stone. 
     
     
         8 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 1 , wherein the nestable segment includes facial surface features that are common to all segments combined to form the jewelry piece. 
     
     
         9 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 1 , wherein the nestable segment includes facial surface features that are unique to a desired set of segments combined to form the jewelry piece. 
     
     
         10 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 1 , wherein at least two nestable segments are combined to form a jewelry piece selected from the group consisting of a broach, a necklace, a bracelet, and an earring. 
     
     
         11 . A method of operating a jewelry business, comprising:
 selling a piece of jewelry that is configured and intended to be nestable with an existing piece of jewelry having at least one through hole, wherein the sold piece of jewelry includes at least one through hole and at least one periphery that substantially matches a periphery associated with the existing piece of jewelry, and such that when the sold piece of jewelry and the existing piece of jewelry are nested with each other, the at least one through hole of the sold piece of jewelry is aligned with the at least one through hole of the existing piece of jewelry to enable an attachment mechanism to pass through the aligned through holes to secure the sold piece of jewelry and the existing piece of jewelry together to form a single item of jewelry.   
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the at least one periphery of the sold piece is an outer periphery. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the at least one periphery of the sold piece is an inner periphery. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 11 , further comprising advertising that the sold piece of jewelry as being nestable with the existing piece of jewelry, prior to selling the sold piece of jewelry. 
     
     
         15 . A jewelry piece comprising a set of nestable segments, wherein at least one periphery of each nestable segment within the set of nestable segments and at least one periphery of at least one different nestable segment within the set of nestable segments match one another. 
     
     
         16 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 15 , wherein each nestable segment has at least one through hole that corresponds one-for-one with at least one through hole associated with each other segment in the set of nestable segments. 
     
     
         17 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 15 , wherein each nestable segment is formed of at least one element selected from the group consisting of metal, plastic, wood and stone. 
     
     
         18 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 16 , further comprising an attachment mechanism devoid of mounting hardware, wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to couple the set of nestable segments together via the at least one through hole associated with each nestable segment. 
     
     
         19 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 15 , wherein each nestable segment is reversible. 
     
     
         20 . The jewelry piece according to  claim 15 , wherein each nestable segment includes facial surface features that are unique to desired nestable segments within the set of nestable segments to form a jewelry piece selected from the group consisting of a broach, a necklace, a bracelet and an earring.