Fordite

Fordite, also known as Detroit Agate, is not actually an Agate, but a great discovery! The original material was created many years ago at the Ford Rouge Plant just outside of Detroit, Michigan. Layer upon layer, paint over-spray built up on metal racks that transported new car bodies through the paint shop, and into the oven, where each coat was baked hard. It is very fun to work, from the mostly black and brown enamels of the late 1940's, to the colorful lacquers of the 1960's, right up to the vibrant base coats of the late 1980's when just a few factories still painted in the old way.  It is a great 'stone' and we have also made some great jewelry with it!