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Jewel caseA jewel case is the original compact disc case that has been used since the compact disc was first released in 1982. It is a three-piece plastic case, measuring 142 mm × 125 mm × 10 mm, which usually contains a compact disc along with the liner notes and a back card. Two opposing transparent halves are hinged together to form the casing, the back half holding a media tray that grips the disc by its hole. All three parts are made of injection-molded polystyrene. The front lid contains two, four, or six opposing tabs to keep any liner notes in place. The liner notes typically will be a 120 mm × 120 mm booklet, or a single 242 mm × 120 mm leaf folded in half. In addition, there is a back card, 150 mm × 118 mm, between the media tray and the back, usually listing the track names, studio, copyright data and other information the consumer would need to read before purchasing. The back card is folded into a flat U shape, with the sides being visible along the ends of the case. The ends usually have the disc name and artist printed on them, and are designed to label the case when it is stored book-style. The back media tray snaps into the back cover, and is responsible for securing the disk. In its center is a circular hub of teeth which grip the disc by its hole. This effectively suspends the disk in the middle of the container, preventing the recording surface from being scratched. Originally, the media tray was constructed of a flexible black polystyrene, but many newer trays use a more fragile transparent polystyrene. This allows the reverse of the back card to be visible, and is usually used for additional artwork. Jewel cases are occasionally used for DVDs as well as CDs, but generally not for those that contain major film releases. Blank Blu-Ray and HD-DVD media are also most commonly sold in standard-width jewel cases as of early 2007.
Origin of the namePeter Dodgeson, says that after developers came to him to design a new, hi-tech appealing design, he states that "I specified polished ribs as they pick up the light and shine, making it even more hi-tech."
WeaknessesThe original jewel case structure has a weakness in that the case is hinged on two brittle plastic arms, which often break if the case receives shock or stress. The teeth of the hub holding the disc are also prone to failure. An opposite problem is the tabs which hold the liner notes in place; sometimes, especially with larger booklets, the tabs grip the booklet too tightly, leading to tearing. Likewise, when replacing the booklet it can get snagged and crumple up or rip. As noted above some CD releases have only two tabs, which allows the booklet to be easily removed and replaced (at the small cost of the booklet sometimes falling out if held the wrong way).
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