Fordite (''Detroit Agate'')

Item Description

Here we have an attractive stone of Fordite, (sometimes called "Detroit Agate", "Motor City Agate" or "Paint Rock), which is a rare, multilayered substance created from hardened automotive paint that builds up in car factories (particularly attributed to Ford Motor Company). The material was created when paint was applied to the tracks and skids where cars are painted with acrylic lacquer, and then baked multiple times in ovens. After a certain amount of time, the paint build-up would become too thick and heavy to be practical, so it had to be removed. Workers eventually noticed that the resulting byproduct was worth unique and colorful, and worth saving, so people decided to polish it into stones. This particular stone is from the St. Louis factory which opened in 1948 and was closed in 2006. It features beautiful multi-colored banding with attractive white, crimson, blue-green and blue hues that can be seen on all sides. A beautiful example of this unique material.