Fordite

Fordite

This unique and unusual substance is something you will not find in a mineral or gemstone book.  Fordite is actually from a Ford auto plant.  During the 1960s, the spray paint from painting vechicles would build up on the walls of the factory. Over time this overspray paint collected and got thick on the walls, and had to be scraped or knocked off the walls to keep the plant clean. A worker at the plant thought the striped and layered material was interesting looking so he collected the pieces. These pieces sat undisturbed for a long time. 

The story we were told was that a few years ago the worker passed away, and was found by his son. The son’s hobby was cutting gemstones and rocks, so when he saw the material he decided to work the pieces into beautiful cabochons. These cabochons, when polished properly, allow us to see the different layers of paint that had been used to produce the cars.  The most common colours in circulation were white, silver and black. Blue, red, and yellow paints were usually only used for sports cars and other high end models. One can look at the layers and see what colour of cars were being produced, and for those who owned a car in the 1960’s, you might even be able to find the colour of a car you had in the past.

Modern technology has made the painting process so there is no overspray, so Fordite is not available anymore. This is just an incredible material with real history!  Fordite is a very unique material, it is fun to own as a piece of jewelry, or as a keepsake piece of the glory days of the automotive industry.