collet

American  

[kol-it] / ˈkɒl ɪt /

noun

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

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

This will cause the pinning point at collet to be shifted from "A" to "B" and bring it that much nearer to the horizontal line "C."

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

The outer case and the face of the instrument are removed, but the hand is attached by its collet to the arbour.

From A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments Explanatory of Their Scientific Principles, Method of Construction, and Practical Utility by Negretti, Henry

The most positive alteration to be made under the circumstances was to break off the spring at the collet and repin it at about 45� above the horizontal line.

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

Original truing of the hairspring is made necessary by the fact of attaching the collet to its center.

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