collet

American  

[kol-it] / ˈkɒl ɪt /

noun

collets plural

1. a collar or enclosing band.

2. the enclosing rim within which a jewel is set.

3. a slotted cylindrical clamp inserted tightly into the tapered interior of a sleeve or chuck on a lathe to hold a cylindrical piece of work.

4. Horology. the tiny collar that supports the inner terminal of a hairspring.

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verb (used with object)

colleted, colleting

1. to set (a gem or other stone) in a collet.

collet British  

/ ˈkɒlɪt /

noun

1. (in a jewellery setting) a band or coronet-shaped claw that holds an individual stone

2. mechanical engineering an externally tapered sleeve made in two or more segments and used to grip a shaft passed through its centre when the sleeve is compressed by being inserted in a tapered hole

3. horology a small collar that supports the inner end of the hairspring

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verb

1. (tr) jewellery to mount in a collet

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• collets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of collet

1520–30; < French, equivalent to col neck (< Latin collum ) + -et -et

Example Sentences

He pulled the bolt and bored out the collet with a hand drill and resleeved it with a section of pipe he’d cut to length with a hacksaw.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

These alterations are generally made by breaking off or letting out a small section of the inner coil at the collet.

From Rules and Practice for Adjusting Watches by Kleinlein, Walter J.

Also by changing pinning points or breaking out one-fourth to one-half of the coil around collet and adding weight to the balances to correct the mean time the difference in the variation was almost negligible.

From Rules and Practice for Adjusting Watches by Kleinlein, Walter J.

In order to obtain this condition the collet pinning point was changed from the fast to the slow point, or from "E", Fig.

From Rules and Practice for Adjusting Watches by Kleinlein, Walter J.