Fordite, also known as Detroit agate or Motor City agate, is old
automotive paint
Automotive paint is paint used on automobiles for both protective and decorative purposes. Water-based acrylic polyurethane enamel paint is currently the most widely used paint for reasons including reducing paint's environmental impact.
Moder ...
which has hardened sufficiently to be cut and polished. It was formed from the buildup of layers of
enamel paint
Enamel paint is paint that air-dries to a hard, usually glossy, finish, used for coating surfaces that are outdoors or otherwise subject to hard wear or variations in temperature; it should not be confused with decorated objects in "painted ename ...
slag on tracks and
skids
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Skid or Skids may refer to:
* Skid, a type of pallet
* Skid (aerodynamics), an outward side-slip in an aircraft turn
* Skid (automobile), an automobile handling condition where one or more tires are slipping relative to the road
* Skid, ...
on which cars were hand
spray-painted (a now automated process), which have been
baked
Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods can be baked. Heat is gradually transferre ...
numerous times. In recent times the material has been recycled into
jewelry
Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a western ...
.
References
Further reading
* Tao Hsu and Andrew Lucas,
Fordite from the Corvette Assembly Plant, ''Gems & Gemology'', 52.1 (Spring 2016)
External links
Jewellery components
Culture of Detroit
Paint recycling
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