Announcing Our New and Improved Website

We would like to thank everyone who has written us with feedback on how to improve our site to best fit your needs. We took your suggestions to heart and redesigned the Diamondburs.net website.

You'll notice a sleeker and more updated design, but the changes aren't just cosmetic. Here are some of the changes you will notice:

• The navigation bar was reorganized so that you can find your items easier.
• The more popular categories have moved to the top of the page.
• "Search" also moved to the top of the page 
•  We added a floating shopping cart in the upper right corner so that you can always see what's in your shopping cart, no matter what page you are on. 

Check out our redesigned website and let us know what you think!

To celebrate our website redesign, we are giving away a $150 Diamondburs.net gift certificate! To enter, become a fan of our Facebook page and like the post that mentions our gift certificate giveaway by November 30. Good luck!

Customer Spotlight - Teena Stewart

This month, we are pleased to feature the work of our customer, Teena Stewart. Teena finds a spiritual message in working with discarded, broken, and valueless things and reworking them into something beautiful just as the Master Artist can do with our lives. She is an accomplished artist and published author who holds a BA with a graphic design major and writing concentration. Distinguished artistic accomplishments include designing the 2010 star ornament for Safe Harbor Rescue Mission, selling her jewelry to celebrities and having her work featured on 9th & Elm.

Pictured here are some of her wine bottle bottom ornaments and a painted and etched glass ornament. These ornaments are drilled and created from recycled wine bottles.

Thanks for sharing your artwork with us, Teena! Click here to find out more about Teena and where you can find her creations.

If you have any original work, we’d love to feature it in our blog. Email us a short description of what you do, how you do it and a few pictures. As a reminder, we are only interested in original work.

Giving Back to Our Community - Atlanta Community Food Bank

In September, we participated in a local community food drive and were able to donate $76 worth of food to the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB). Each year, ACFB distributes over 45 million pounds of donated food to more than 600 local nonprofit agencies in the north Georgia area. These agencies in turn distribute the food to families in the northern half of Georgia. We're happy to be able to help!

What's a Flexible Drilling Shaft?

In several of our drilling and project guides, we mention using a flexible drilling shaft or flexshaft.

One of the most common issues with drilling glass or tile is how fatiguing it can be. Your hands get tired. After 5-10 minutes of drilling, even a light rotary tool feels like it weighs a ton. Compounding the problem, you’re usually using only one hand to drill because your other hand is holding the glass, tile, wine bottle or sea glass.

Some people get around this issue by using a drill press. You can get a drill press at any hardware store or home center. A drill press is more expensive than a flex shaft and isn’t as portable. It’s a little harder to set up and take down on your workbench or kitchen table unless you’re setting it up and leaving it.

Some artists/jewelers/craftsman think that they have more control if they use a flexshaft instead of a drill press. Some feel the opposite way. It’s a matter of personal preference. There isn’t a right or wrong answer–just whatever works for you.

A flexible drilling shaft is an accessory that you screw onto a Dremel (or other) rotary tool. Other models of the flexible drilling shaft fit in the chuck of your regular hand drill.

Attaching a flexshaft to a Dremel tool is easy. You take the decorative black plastic ring nut, collet nut and collet off the rotary tool as if you were going to change collets. Next, you screw on the square drive collet nut and screw the flexshaft on the Dremel tool in place of the plastic ring nut. It's an easy process that takes about 30 seconds. If you’re using one in a regular drill it’s even easier–you insert the end of the flexible shaft in the chuck of the drill and tighten the chuck.

When you’re finished, you'll have a pen sized drilling tool for your hand and 30 inches of flexible shaft. The motor and battery, which are the heavy parts of the rotary tool, are resting comfortably on your workbench or kitchen table–not in your hand.

Your drill bits, grinding stones, polishing wheels and disks fit in a collet or adjustable chuck on the end of the flexible shaft, exactly the same way that they fit in your rotary tool.

We’ve used several brands of flexible shafts and reviewed a few of them on Amazon. The Dremel brand is a little more expensive, but more versatile. Most of the cheaper ones will only take a 1/8” collet and don’t have replacement collets. This limits your choice of drill bits. It also means that if you ever lose or wear out the collet, the entire drilling shaft is useless. The Dremel Flexshaft will accommodate several sizes of collets or their adjustable chuck and you can buy replacement collets. We personally believe that the Dremel brand is worth the additional $10-$15. You can get them from your local hardware store or at Dremel retailers online.

If you have a question or comment, we'd love to hear from you. Leave us a comment, below, or email us a note.

If you're interested in learning more about drilling, you can download a free copy of “How to Drill Glass, Tile and Stone.” Click here for your FREE copy.

DIY Project Spotlight - Wine Bottle Lights

Some of the most popular questions from our customers are about drilling wine bottles to make a wine bottle light.

Can I drill a wine bottle? 
Can I make a wine bottle light?
Can I use my regular drill or Dremel tool?

Yes, yes and yes! We have a lot of creative customers – we're amazed at some of the projects that we see or hear about. Approaching the holiday season, a lot of our customers get into – craft mode. All of a sudden Christmas crafts and holiday decorations are on everyone’s mind. Wine bottle lights are one of the more popular projects. You’ve probably seen them: wine bottles with a strand of Christmas lights inside. The outside of the bottle can be decorated almost any way than you want; painted, decals, glitter, ribbons, beads, etc.

Can I drill a wine bottle?

Yes, you can. Drilling wine bottles to make a wine bottle light can seem a little intimidating for someone who’s never done it before. The idea of drilling a hole on that curved, smooth and slippery surface seems daunting. It’s not hard, it just takes a little practice. You’ll use a diamond core bit and your regular drill or Dremel tool.

Can I make a wine bottle light?

Yes, you can. Once the hole is drilled in the wine bottle, you simply push a strand of Christmas lights inside the bottle through the hole. For most light strands the plug will not fit through the hole. Thats good – you don’t want it to. The plug end will look like a “tail.” You’ll plug your new wine bottle light into a wall receptacle or extension cord. Lightly shake the bottle to distribute the lights inside a little more evenly. If you’re using LED lights you can use a strand of 25-50 lights. If you’re using regular incandescent lights you should use a shorter strand of only 15-25 lights. Incandescent lights are a lot hotter. You don’t want the wine bottle to become too hot to touch or to become a fire hazard. Use your imagination when decorating the outside of the bottle. We’ve seen bottle lights that were painted, decoupaged, decorated with a decal, covered in glue and glitter, covered in glue and Epsom salts, covered in glass beads, you name it. Some of our artistically talented customers hand paint the bottles. For the remainder (like us), using a decal or some other method works best.

Can I use my regular drill or Dremel tool? 

Yes, you can. The most popular drill bit for drilling the wine bottles is the 1/2" Diamond Core Bit. This is usually the smallest size that the lights will fit through. Consider using a slightly larger bit such as the "5/8”" or 3/4” diamond core bit. All three of these bits will fit in almost any drill or drill press. Using one of the larger bits is especially helpful if you’re making a lot of the bottle lights or if you ever need to remove the lights to replace a burned out bulb. If you’re using a Dremel tool for the drilling, you should use the 15/32” diamond core bit for Dremel tools. It’s the largest bit you can safely use in a Dremel tool. The lights will be a tight fit but they will go through the hole.

For a limited time, you can purchase our Wine Bottle Drilling Set. This new product is valued at $96, but is available for $47 until September 30. With this set, you can choose between five different drill bit combinations.

If you want more information about drilling the wine bottles, you can always download a copy of “How to Drill Glass”, "Click here for your FREE copy."

Customer Spotlight - Gertraud Fendler

This month, we feature the work of Gertraud Fendler, a semi-retired professional photographer who worked in New York City for 25 years before moving to Virginia. Gertraud would spend hours walking on the beaches and picking up sea glass - it was only three years ago that she decided to create pieces of jewelry with her beach treasures.

In this particular project, the sea glass are cornflower blue pieces of Milk of Magnesia bottles (you can see some writing on the front piece), which are drilled with our diamond bits and then wrapped with square sterling silver wire and embellished with freshwater pearls and polished glass beads.

Thank you for sharing some of your work with us, Gertraud!

If you have any original work, we’d love to feature it in our blog. Email us a short description of what you do, how you do it and a few pictures. As a reminder, we are only interested in original work.

Giving Back to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

In August, DiamondBurs.Net bought and donated $84 worth of children's books to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). These books will be given to children who are patients at CHOA. 

CHOA is a Not-For-Profit pediatric healthcare group in Atlanta, Georgia. They operate three pediatric hospitals in the Atlanta area. Additionally, they have 20 neighborhood locations, including five Urgent Care centers and the Marcus Autism Center.

We're proud to help bring a small bit of comfort to these children.

Customer Spotlight - Sara Marsh

Our customer (and employee), Sara Marsh, recently shared some of her artwork with us and we thought we could share it with you.



Sara collects assorted pieces of glassware and china from thrift shops. Then, she stacks them, making a tower or garden totem.

The bottom piece of her garden totem is always a flower vase turned upside down. This “vase at the base” slides over the stake or stand that she uses to support and display her sculpture.

She drills one hole through the center of each piece of glass and china. A single wood screw and washer hold everything together and fastens the totem to stand.


She has used a variety of china pieces as the toppers for her garden totems. The one pictured here is a decorative teapot. 



Great idea. Thank you Sara!!!


For a detailed list of materials and tools needed to complete this project, as well as a step-by-step guide, please visit the How to Make a Glass Garden Totem page on our website.

If you have any original work featuring drilled glass, ceramics or tile, we’d love to feature it in our blog. Email us a short description of what you do, how you do it and a few pictures. Please keep in mind that we can only show original work.

Giving Back to Our Community - Shop with a Cop Program

This month we donated $100 to DeKalb Fraternal Order of Police's "Shop with a Cop" program. School children in the foster care system shop for back to school supplies and school clothing with a police officer. Several merchants in the area, including Walmart, recognize the program and give a 50% discount. Lets hear it for the men and women in blue, going above and beyond. All officers that help these kids do so on their own time, off-duty. We're glad to help this worthy cause!

Customer Spotlight - Monica Hancock

Our customer, Monica Hancock, was nice enough to share pictures of her work.

She collects glass chargers, dinner plates, salad plates, bread plates and small bowls from local thrift shops. She then layers them in an appealing color combination and drills a 1/8” or 3/16” hole through the plates and bowls.


The center of her flower is a glass drawer or cabinet pull. The threaded stem of the pull goes through the glass and through a wooden stake. The stake acts as the stem of the flower. The stems can also be made from copper pipes or electrical conduit. A washer and hex nut on the back of the stake hold everything in place.

To hold everything in place, you can either glue the glass pieces together or let the pressure from the drawer pull and nut hold everything in place. Place the “stem” in the ground and you’re done!

These flowers can also be mounted on fences, walls or anywhere you want some extra color in your home or yard.

Great idea. Thank you Monica!!!

If you have any original work, we’d love to feature it in our blog. Email us a short description of what you do, how you do it and a few pictures. We are only interested in original work.

Diamond Core Bits For Your Dremel Tool

“They’re Here! They’re Here!” Trumpets blare. Drums roll.

For years, one of the most common questions that we get is: “Can I use my Dremel tool to drill a hole, so I can put Christmas lights inside a wine bottle (or glass block)?”

For 10 years our answer had to be “No.” No one that we could find made a diamond core bit that would fit a rotary tool (such as Dremel) and would drill a hole large enough for Christmas lights.

One of our manufacturers just came out with a line of diamond core bits with a 1/8” shank. These core bits will fit your rotary tool. The bit sizes range from 1/8”, up to 15/32”.

½” seems to be just beyond the upper safety limit for a diamond core bit that can be used in a rotary tool, such as Dremel.

The 15/32” diamond core bit will fit in your rotary tool (such as Dremel) and drills a hole that is almost ½” in diameter. The miniature Christmas lights will fit through that hole. It’s tight, but they do fit.

If you’re making a large number of the lighted wine bottles or glass block you’ll still want to use a traditional 1/2” diamond core bit or 5/8” diamond core bit with your drill or drill press.

If you’re trying this for the first time and don’t want to go out and buy a new drill or drill press, then these new bits are for you.

You also have other sizes. The 1/4” diamond core bit and the 3/8” diamond core bit are good sizes for lamp cords and other electrical cords. I know that a lot of you drill holes in the bottom of decorative bottles to make lamps.

The 1/8” diamond core bit bit is a good size for hemp or leather cording.

Remember, you can always download a free copy of “How to Drill Glass, Tile and Stone.” Click here for your FREE copy.

Practice Drilling Holes in Glass Bottles

If you've never drilled holes in glass before, or are looking for a way to practice, the above video shows a way to build up some skill before you begin working on your project.

The person drilling appears to be an expert. For those who aren't, you may want to take some precautions before mimicking the actions in the video.

First, as a beginner, you should seriously consider wearing gloves. While gloves may seem inconvenient or unnecessary, they will come in handy if the glass accidentally breaks. You can ditch the gloves once you feel confident that you have a good handle on what you're doing, but until then, it's better to be safe, than sorry.

Second, you'll notice that the person is using a plugged-in electric drill under running water. This should be done with extreme care. Don't attempt this if your electric cord is too short or if you have any distractions going on in the background.

When taking the proper precautions, this method can be a good way to fine tune your drilling. Whether you wish to fine tune your drilling technique or determine which drill bit would produce the exact hole you desire, practice makes perfect! Please keep in mind that this can be dangerous, so proceed with caution. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, then the best thing is to not do it.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave us a comment, or check out our free guide, "How to Drill Glass, Tile and Stone."

Granite Drill Bits vs. Glass Drill Bits and Pilot Bits

We usually only address one issue or question with each post, but this week we were asked two very good questions in the same e-mail. So, we thought that we would take a shot at answering both questions.

1. What’s the difference between Granite Drill Bits and Glass Drill Bit?

Glass drill bits are electroplated, while drill bits for granite and concrete are sintered. With glass bits, the diamonds are electroplated to the surface of a stainless steel blank, using a nickel bonding material. The diamonds are just on the surface.

Granite drill bits are sintered. The diamonds are mixed in a softer metal. As this metal wears away, new diamonds are constantly being exposed.

Glass drill bits will drill granite and concrete, but will wear out very quickly, maybe before the first hole is drilled.

Granite drill bits will drill glass, but they leave a hole with very rough edges. With most applications, additional smoothing and polishing would probably be necessary and the "blowout" on the back side of the glass is more common and more extensive.

2.) Shouldn’t these ”diamond core bits” have a pilot bit?

We've seen a few diamond core bits with pilot bits, but it's simply a marketing issue, because most people think that the bits should have a pilot bit, so one manufacturer puts a pilot bit in. Most manufacturers do not.

The pilot bit would have to be centered in the same way that the core bit has to be centered: Using a notched piece of scrap wood, plastic etc.,  or used in a drill press or started at a 45 degree angle. If you have to do that with the pilot bit, you might as well just do it with the diamond core bit.

In addition, the pilot bits will also wear out much more quickly and will have to be replaced more often. In our blog post from April 4th, we tackled the question about using pointed (pilot) bits: "Do Pointed Drill Bits Work Better?"

For more answers to your questions, you can always download a free copy of “How to Drill Glass, Tile and Stone." Click here for your FREE copy.

Do Pointed Drill Bits Work Better?

A good question. Seems intuitive. Drill bits for wood come to a point. Knives work better when they’re sharp; Scissors too.

Why don’t we sell glass drill bits that are pointed and sharp? We do recommend pointed drill bits, but they’re for special uses, such as reaming out the clogged holes in beads.

Pointed bits are easy to use for one or two holes, or maybe only half of a hole. But as soon as the point wears out, they stop drilling.

The real problem with pointed drill bits is… the point. The point goes in first and the rest of the drill bit follows. The point is the smallest and narrowest part of the drill bit: that means fewer diamonds.  There’s just less room at the point. The point will wear out first.

Remember those yellow number 2 pencils in school? The point of those pencils always wore out first.  If the point of your pencil wore out or was broken it really didn’t matter how much lead was in the rest of the pencil. Like those pencils, when the point wears, the rest of the drill bit won’t matter either.

For drilling holes in glass, stone and tile, we suggest that you use a diamond drill bit with a round end or a diamond core bit — neither of which is pointed or sharp.

The point is: always use a diamond core bit or a round end bit. You’ll get a lot more holes drilled for your money.

For more on drilling, read our guide, “How to Drill Glass, Tile and Stone.” Click here for your FREE copy.

Giving Back at DiamondBurs

In February, DiamondBurs bought $175 of Girl Scout cookies and had them sent to US troops stationed overseas. We're glad that we could help bring a little bit of "home" to our servicemen and servicewomen away from their families. The bonus was that we were also able to help the Girl Scouts, a terrific organization helping young girls become community service minded young women. Thank you for your business. We know that your business makes this possible!

Can I Drill Sea Glass?

I’ve collected tons of sea glass. Now I want to do something with it.

Can I drill holes in it and make jewelry?

This is one of the most common questions that we get and it’s really a “twofer.” The second question that always comes with it is, “which drill bit do I use to drill holes in my sea glass?”

Two great questions! Two very popular questions! Unfortunately, with no right answer.

It’s a matter of personal preference. We recommend that you use a drill bit with a rounded end, either a round ball or a round end cylinder.  

The rounded (spherical) end puts twice as many diamonds in contact with the glass as a flat end cylinder.  

If I could find my 9^th grade Geometry teacher, I would like to tell him that those formulas for finding the area of a circle and a sphere came in handy. Took a long time but I finally did use them. Who would have thought?

The two most popular bits for drilling sea glass are the 1/16” and 1/20” bits. The holes they drill are a good size for almost all beading wires, fishing line, jump rings and earring findings. The 1/20” is just a little smaller. Both will fit in a drill, drill press, Dremel tool or rotary tool.  

You can see them both at the Drill Sea Glass section of our website. They’re also both included in the ”Beginner’s Sea Glass Set.”

So, no right answer but two answers that are a lot more popular for drilling sea glass. If you want more information about drilling sea glass and sea shells, you can download a copy of "How to Drill Sea Glass" from our website.

Can I Drill Glass Without Using Water?

Yes, you can drill glass without using water, but you probably shouldn’t. I agree, setting up a water bath or a spray bottle can be a pain and it can make drilling messier.

You can drill “dry” with any diamond drill bit. But, the bit will burn up - Guaranteed!

Diamonds are incredibly hard. Much harder than the glass, tile or stone that you’re drilling. However, the friction created by drilling heats up the glass or tile and the diamond bit. So hot that they can actually turn red and glow.

We’ve had customers tell us that they use WD-40, brake fluid, mineral oil, antifreeze and kerosene as coolant/lubricants. All are interesting choices but none work as well as water with a drop or two of dishwashing soap. Not enough soap to make it sudsy, but just enough to break the surface tension of the water.  

Water is also the easiest to clean up afterwards. Have you ever tried getting WD-40 out of a glass block or a wine bottle? You don’t want to!

Using a water bath or spray will pay off. You trade 30 seconds of extra drilling time for a bit that will last two or three times as long. It’s a bargain. You don’t want your drill bits to end up like the picture above.

You can download a free copy of “How to Drill Glass, Tile and Stone” by clicking here.