Ring Credit: McFarland Designs

It is an instance of recycling from before we knew what that was. When auto companies were still painting cars with enamel, overspray would accumulate in different parts of the spray booth, drip, run and eventually dry in certain places. Over time, layers and layers of paint, in many different colors, would build up into egg-sized lumps. Repeated passes through the paint baking ovens would turn the paint amost as hard as stone.

The resulting man-made material goes under several different names; Detroit Agate, Motor City Agage and Fordite – are common. When the lump is broken or cut open, the different layers are exposed, rather like the rings in a tree trunk. The distinction here is that a kaleidoscope of color is also revealed. Polishing the surface results in quite attractive patterns and color combinations.

Since the auto manufacturers have moved to electrostatic paint spraying, the production of Detroit Agate has stopped. There is, nonetheless, a somewhat ‘underground’ business in the production of jewelery and polished examples of the paint waste. It is still possible to find new material in conventional autobody paint booths, but the quantity and quality of these is much lower than the original factory by-product.

Material originally produced in the 60’s and early 70’s could contain heavy metals, primarily in the form of cadmium. Their use was common in pigments at the time. However, the amount that one might be exposed to in a small sample is minimal. Some pigments, however, may have contained lead and that possibility now restricts the availability of Detroit Agate in California, under their Lead-Containing Jewelry Law.

Imagine having your own souvenir of the first muscle car era. A Fordite ring might be made from samples of paint from Dearborn Assembly plant. You might own part of an original Mustang – in every color produced – and never know it.

If you’re interested in pursuing this possibility, just do an Internet search on Fordite and you’ll have all the information you need.