Drilling holes in a bead

[ptbeads]

Ok, I tried searching for this first, but am not finding anything, so if this has already been covered, could someone please direct me to it?

I made an ankle bracelet for my cousin's wedding. I don't have a picture of just the anklet, so there's a big picture of all the jewelry at the bottom. The problem is, the big heart in the middle. The silver hearts are Art Clay and I really like the look of the large ACS heart hanging inside the glass heart.
My question is, when I'm making the heart bead, could I just poke two deep holes into the sides and when the bead is finished, drill out the holes?? It seems pretty straight forward that it could be done, but I don't want her walking down the isle and the stupid thing pop off!
In the picture I've attached, I had to go around the heart. I could wire wrap the whole thing, but I like the look of the heart kind of hanging there. The problem is that the ACS piece has only two holes, so it stays put while the heart can move around a bit and they sometimes get in a bind. It's just very frustrating. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

[rainygrrl]

I've drilled holes in larger beads using water cooled diamond bits. They held up fine, but the hearts are much more delicate.
It still could be worth a try. Good idea to poke holes to get the drill started right. You could also drill another hold in the silver piece.
Good luck! I think it looks cool too!

[ptbeads]

Thanks. I'm going to give it a shot tonight. I may make my heart a little thicker just in case.

[MaryBeth]

Use a tungsten pick to place your starter holes when you are making the heart. I learned how to drill a hole through an off-mandrel bead in a Patti Walton glass. Tungsten works the best - heat it to a low orange glow first. Don't heat up any of your tools this way, however!

Also - just in case this isn't clear when I say drill with a tungsten pick I mean push a hole through with it in a piece that is a working temperature as you are working it.