I was fooled by the name of “Detroit Agate” and realized when this intriguing stone arrived in the mail that it was not a stone at all!  By further investigations I found out that this was a beautifully “recycled” product made from old time accumulation of enameled paint in the Ford factory over years and years that was hardened enough by multiple baking to be cut into cabochons.  I decided to make the best of it by making this Ford 1959 motif with my new “stone” called Fordite or Detroit Agate!  The head lights are single cut diamonds set in 14K Rose Gold settings and the grille is a Sterling Silver mesh. The bail is also free formed in 14K Rose gold. 

 

Note:  Fordite, also known as Detroit agate, is old automobile paint which has hardened sufficiently to be cut and polished.  It was formed from the built up of layers of enamel paint slag on tracks and skids on which cars were hand spray-painted (a now automated process), which have been baked numerous times.   In recent times the material has been recycled.  The old factory methods that created this incredible material are long gone.