Kinetic Fordite Necklace
Handmade necklace in Sterling silver with a rare piece of Fordite set in an open back bezel inside two hammered frames of silver. Each inner frame is suspended in a way that allows it to revolve inside the outer frame. The Fordite has unique colors and different patterns on either side. Though rectangular in shape, it’s not a perfectly symmetrical piece, but I find that adds to the uniqueness of the piece. The frame is hammered for texture on both sides and polished for a shiny finish. The pendant comes hung on an 18” sterling silver box chain with Spring ring closure and makers tag.
Fordite, or Motor City Agate, isn’t an Agate at all. It’s actually vintage auto paint overspray build up from the old Ford Motor Company plant. The rumor has it that when the paint build on the auto transport racks up became too thick and was removed, some of the auto workers took pieces of it home with them and began carving it into sculptures or cabochons. The practice then spread to other car plants over the years (the year and plant it’s from can be determined by the colors of the paint), but in the 1980’s car manufacturers changed the way they painted their new cars so the material is now in limited finite supply. This small piece of automotive history is some of the original 1950’s Fordite from the Ford factory near Dearborn Michigan, and is considered to be the most rare and collectible,