Decorations

Abstract

To provide an ornament that is unlikely to break even when subjected to an external force and is also unlikely to deteriorate with time, so that a luxurious feel due to gold can be sustained. [Solution] The decorative article 10 includes a formed nickel electroformed layer 11 having a thickness of 0.1 mm or more, a gold foil layer 12 attached to the nickel electroformed layer 11 with an adhesive, and a transparent protective layer 13 covering the gold foil layer 12. The decorative article may have a model remaining inside it, or may have no model remaining inside it.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This invention relates to decorative items that can be used as ornaments, wall hangings, ceiling hangings, personal ornaments, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] Even if something has a beautiful appearance, if it crumbles over time, it is difficult to appreciate it for a long time. For example, a giant pumpkin that won a competition for size (weight) could not be appreciated for a long time because it rotted and crumbled, and the only way to preserve it was through photographs, etc.

[0003] Therefore, various decorative items have been devised by metallizing the surfaces of the items to make them less likely to crumble.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes an ornament that is made by forming a conductive coating, preferably about 20 microns thick, using a conductive paint of lead, zinc, tin, etc., by metal spraying on non-conductive materials such as seashells, dragon's egg, ceramics, glass, leaves, bark, branches, nuts, bonsai, etc., and then coating this with a thick plating of precious metal, preferably about 50 to 300 microns, using gold, rhodium, etc.

[0005] Patent document 2 describes a metallized plant that is prepared by coating a plant that has been dried and treated to prevent decay with a non-shrinking resin solution, and then coating it with a conductive resin containing powder of a metal such as copper, and then electroplating the plant with a salt solution of copper, silver, gold, aluminum, chromium, manganese, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Microfilm of Utility Model Application No. 105778 / 1973 (Laid-Open Utility Model Application No. 51992 / 1975) [Patent Document 2] Microfilm of Utility Model Application No. 54-7850 (Utility Model Application No. 55-106674) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the ornament in Patent Document 1 has a thin conductive coating, shells, leaves, etc. underneath the thick precious metal plating, so it is prone to cracking when external forces are applied. The metallized plant in Patent Document 2 also has a thin conductive resin coating, non-shrinkable resin, and plants underneath the electroplated film, so it is prone to cracking when external forces are applied. Furthermore, the plating films in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have thin areas that are prone to deterioration over time, so the luxurious feel provided by the gold is easily lost.

[0008] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an ornament that is not easily broken even when subjected to external force and is not easily deteriorated over time, thereby maintaining the luxurious feel of gold. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] [1] An ornament comprising a formed nickel electroformed layer having a thickness of 0.1 mm or more and a gold foil layer attached to the nickel electroformed layer with an adhesive.

[0010] [2] An ornament comprising a shaped electroformed metal layer having a thickness of 0.33 mm or more and a gold foil layer attached to the electroformed metal layer with an adhesive.

[0011] [3] An ornament as described in [1] or [2] in which a model remains inside the ornament.

[0012] [4] An ornament as described in [1] or [2] where no model remains inside the ornament.

[0013] [5] The decorative article according to [1], [2] or [3], in which the gold foil layer is coated with a transparent protective layer.

[0014] (action) A nickel electroformed layer having a thickness of 0.1 mm or more, or a metal electroformed layer having a thickness of 0.33 mm or more, is highly rigid and therefore unlikely to crack even when subjected to external force. The gold leaf layer does not have any thin areas, so it is less likely to deteriorate over time and retains the luxurious feel of gold for a long time. Effect of the Invention

[0015] The ornament of the present invention has the excellent effect of being difficult to break even when subjected to external force, and difficult to deteriorate over time, so that the luxurious feel of gold is maintained. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a decorative article according to a first embodiment, where (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a partial cross-sectional view. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows the decorative article of the second embodiment, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line bb. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows a decorative article according to a third embodiment, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a partial cross-sectional view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] <1> Model The model to be electroformed is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include the following: (A) Natural objects Vegetables, fruits, flowers, trees, branches, leaves and other plants. Animals such as insects, crabs, shrimp, fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals. Rocks, crystals, and other minerals. (a) Artificial objects Products include toys, dolls, stuffed animals, shoes, school bags, balls, gloves, bats, etc. Three-dimensional artworks created by sculpture, modeling, assembly, etc. Buddhist altar implements such as incense burners, and Shinto implements such as sakaki stands. Including used items. (c) An artificial model that is a copy of a natural or man-made object Examples of materials for the artificial model include wood, plastic, wood plastic, clay, plaster, and the like. Examples of methods for copying natural or artificial objects include molding and modeling based on three-dimensional data.

[0018] <2> Electroformed layer The electroformed layer is shaped by electroforming onto an object to be electroformed. The nickel electroformed layer is made of nickel or a nickel alloy. The thickness of the electroformed nickel layer is preferably 0.1 to 5 mm, more preferably 0.33 to 5 mm in terms of increasing rigidity, and most preferably 0.5 to 5 mm. The electroformed metal layer is not limited in terms of the type of metal, but is preferably made of nickel or a nickel alloy. The thickness of the electroformed metal layer is preferably 0.33 to 5 mm, and more preferably 0.5 to 5 mm in terms of increasing rigidity.

[0019] <3> Conductive Film The conductive film for electroforming to be applied to the surface of the model is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include a conductive paint coating, a silver mirror reaction film, and an electroless plating film.

[0020] <4> gold leaf layer The type of gold leaf is not particularly limited. The gold leaf may be applied in a single layer, a double layer, or three or more layers. The thickness of the gold foil layer is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.05 to 1 μm, and more preferably 0.1 to 1 μm in terms of increased durability.

[0021] <5> glue The adhesive for attaching the gold leaf is not particularly limited, but examples include lacquer, glue, cashew, epoxy resin, polyimide resin, and polyester resin.

[0022] <6> Transparent protective layer The transparent protective layer is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include a coating film of a transparent resin such as lacquer. EXAMPLES

[0023] The present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the structures, materials, values, shapes and dimensions described in the embodiments are merely examples and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0024] [Example 1] The decorative article 10 of Example 1 shown in Fig. 1 is composed of a 3 mm thick nickel electroformed layer 11 shaped to the shape and inside dimensions of a giant pumpkin, which is a natural object, a 0.2 µm thick gold foil layer 12 attached with an adhesive to the entire outer surface of the nickel electroformed layer 11, and a transparent protective layer 13 covering the gold foil layer 12. No model remains inside the decorative article 10.

[0025] The decorative article 10 can be manufactured in the following manner. (1) A giant pumpkin is used as a model (not shown). (2) The entire surface of the model is covered with a conductive film for electroforming, and the model is placed in a nickel electroforming liquid tank to form a nickel electroformed layer 11 by electroforming. (3) After that, an adhesive is applied to the entire surface of the nickel electroformed layer 11, and a gold foil having a thickness of 0.1 μm is laminated twice to form the gold foil layer 12. (4) After that, the entire surface of the gold foil layer 12 is covered with a transparent protective layer 13 made of lacquer or the like. (5) Then, a hole is drilled in a part of the nickel electroformed layer 11 (for example, the center of the bottom) to remove the rotten and softened giant pumpkin.

[0026] [Example 2] The ornament 20 of Example 2 shown in Fig. 2 is composed of a 0.35 mm thick nickel electroformed layer 21 shaped to the shape and inside dimensions of a dragonfly, which is a natural object, a 0.1 µm thick gold foil layer 22 attached with an adhesive to the entire outer surface of the nickel electroformed layer 21, and a transparent protective layer 23 covering the gold foil layer 22. A model 24 (dragonfly) remains inside the ornament 20.

[0027] The decorative article 20 can be manufactured in the following manner. (1) Use the Dragonfly as is as Model 24. (2) The model 24 is entirely covered with a conductive film for electroforming and then placed in a nickel electroforming liquid tank to form the nickel electroformed layer 21 by electroforming. (3) After that, an adhesive is applied to the entire surface of the nickel electroformed layer 21, and a single layer of gold foil having a thickness of 0.1 μm is attached to it to form the gold foil layer 22. (4) After that, the entire surface of the gold foil layer 22 is covered with a transparent protective layer 23 made of lacquer or the like.

[0028] [Example 3] 3, the ornament 30 of Example 3 is composed of a 1 mm thick nickel electroformed layer 31 shaped to the shape and inside dimensions of an artificial stuffed toy, a 0.1 μm thick gold foil layer 32 attached with an adhesive to the entire outer surface of the nickel electroformed layer 31, and a transparent protective layer 33 covering the gold foil layer 32. A model 34 (an artificial model copied from a stuffed toy) remains inside the ornament 30.

[0029] This decorative item can be manufactured in the following manner. (1) Three-dimensional data of a stuffed toy (not shown) is created, and an artificial model 34 of the same shape as the stuffed toy is modeled based on the three-dimensional data. Since it is difficult to cover the surface of a stuffed toy with a conductive film, an artificial model 34 that is easy to cover with a conductive film is used. (2) The entire surface of the model 34 is covered with a conductive film for electroforming, and the model is placed in a nickel electroforming liquid tank to form the nickel electroformed layer 31 by electroforming. (3) After that, an adhesive is applied to the entire surface of the nickel electroformed layer 31, and a single layer of gold foil having a thickness of 0.1 μm is attached to it to form the gold foil layer 32. (4) After that, the entire surface of the gold foil layer 32 is covered with a transparent protective layer 33 made of lacquer or the like.

[0030] The decorative articles 10, 20, 30 of Examples 1 to 3 are less likely to crack even when subjected to external force due to the high rigidity of the nickel electroformed layers 11, 21, 31. Furthermore, the gold foil layers 12, 22, 32 are less likely to deteriorate over time because they do not have thin areas, and the luxurious feel of gold is maintained for a long time.

[0031] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be embodied by making appropriate modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. (A) The nickel electroformed layers 11, 21, and 31 in Examples 1 to 3 are changed to electroformed metal layers made of a metal other than nickel and having a thickness of 0.33 mm or more. (stomach) [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 10. Decorations 11 Nickel electroforming layer 12 Gold leaf layer 13 Protective layer 20 Decorations 21 Nickel electroformed layer 22 Gold leaf layer 23 Protective layer 24 Models 30 Decorations 31 Nickel electroformed layer 32 Gold leaf layer 33 Protective layer 34 Models

Claims

1. The decorative article comprises a shaped nickel electroformed layer having a thickness of 0.1 mm or more, and a gold foil layer attached to the nickel electroformed layer with an adhesive.

2. The decorative article comprises a shaped electroformed metal layer having a thickness of 0.33 mm or more, and a gold foil layer attached to the electroformed metal layer with an adhesive.

3. 3. The decorative article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the model remains inside the decorative article.

4. 3. The decorative article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein no model remains inside the decorative article.

5. 3. The decorative article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gold foil layer is covered with a transparent protective layer.

Images