Hole and bail to tumbled rock, simple?

[rockinronda]

If someone wanted to turn a pretty tumbled rock into some very simple Xmas jewelry prezzies, would drilling a hole and adding either a screw bail or pinch bail be as simple as it seems? Say for prolly 7-10 stones. I have the tiny core hole bits n all that. How big of a project time wise and knowledge wise is this endeavor?

[ronnsrockroundup]

They even offer glue on bails as well for extra ease.

[rockinronda]

The screw bail would def be glued! I’ve read that screw bails hold glue better, more surface contacts. So that’s why I was going that way.

[ronnsrockroundup]

I had picked up a really cool cab from one of the members last year and purchased a sterling glue on bail from Amazon it worked great and is still going strong. Haven't really looked into the screw kind however. Good luck whichever way you go.

[vegasjames]

It is harder to drill the hole on rocks once tumbled due to the smooth, glossy surface. Best to put tape or something over the area to be drilled to help give the bit something to grab.

[whalecottagedesigns]

It should not be that bad. Depending on the stone, if Mohs 7's it does take long though. On some agates it has taken me 20 minutes to get down to 3.5 mm. Soft stones can go pretty quick. It is the part I like the least, the drilling. If your stones are already tumbled and shiny, you can do as vegasjames said and put some tape on to start, or else you can also just use a ball burr to make a starting mark before you start to drill too.

[Rockoonz]

I drill with ball end burrs in a Foredom flex shaft.
If you start with a light touch and make a little crater to begin with, they also are great for a "center punch" for a regular wire drill bit in a drill press. You don't get the drill trying to skitter to the side.

We have used the pin/screw/peg bails with good success. The ones with square wire twisted or threads are all we've tried.