Drilling Holes in Jewelry Gemstone
Drill small holes (less than 12mm) into rock with these simple
instructions. Use this drilling process whether you are
working with agate, jade or marble gemstones, or just about any
type of rock.
1. Start with a diamond core drill bit size of your choice (Fig. 2). Diamond core bits are the correct
type of bits to use for rock work (Fig. 3).
2. Diamond core bits are required to be kept wet. The core bit doesn't need a lot of water, just enough to wash away the rock mud and keep
the bit wet. The easiest way to accomplish this is to accomplish your
drilling in a container of water. A Nugget & Bead vise with 3" diameter x 5/8" deep aluminum tank and vise works well (Fig. 4). It holds stones up to 3/4" for drilling. Larger stones will require an adjustment to the vice and container size.
Once you start drilling use a very gentle up/down motion to allow
fresh water under the bit. If you jamb the bit back down in the
rock, it will remove the diamonds, rendering your bit useless.
Another way of keeping the stone wet is to have a water drip system
continually feeding to the point you are drilling.
3. Drilling is best accomplished with a drill press (Fig. 1) . If you bind or tweak the bit, it
will snap apart. Holding the bit perfectly perpendicular to the stone is
mandatory and vital.
By following the above steps your core bits should give you
maximum drilling life.
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