Drilling stones and pearls with flexshaft

[Gina777777]

Hello.

I would like to drill holes in stones and pearls.
I have got Foredom SR with the hand piece, quick change.
Can I drill holes on stones and pearls with diamond burr whith those set up?
or Should I have to buy another flex shaft or micromotor which is specialised for the drilling stones?
It is too confusing with a lot of different tools to buy...
What is the cheapest way to drill semi-precious stones and pearls?

Thank you

[china]

Hi Gina, you can drill with what you have plus a couple of accessories, if you look on line you will find various types of vice for holding beads and pearls, e.g. https://www.stuller.com/products/53-1201/?groupId=22948
you don't drill pearls with a burr, you use a drill.
Drilling stones is a bit different, and many stones need to be drilled under water, Opals for one will crack from the heat if not kept cool, this can be done simply by holding the stone under water in a empty ice cream container or similar
again you would use a diamond drill not a burr. the main thing is slow and careful.
This is the cheapest way, upgrading to dedicated machines makes the job easier although much more expensive, my pearl drilling machine (Japanese not a China knock off) cost in the region of $1000AUD many years ago

[Dennis]

As China has said, there is little to choose between a pendant drill and a micromotor in effectiveness. What matters is the drill bit.

For pearls buy the cheapest drill bits you can on line, say 0.8mm or so and bin them as soon as they get blunt.
Drilling stones can be a long and tedious process if they are hard, using up several diamond drills, so don't get too ambitious. Dennis.