Fordite Earrings

You may have noticed that I have a “collection” of Fordite earrings for sale on my website. Fordite, also known as Detroit Agate, is formed from automotive paint overspray layers. It was saved by auto workers and later cut and polished into highly collectible pieces of auto history. I really love that Fordite is upcycled paint that would otherwise end up in landfill and even though it is not a natural stone, it is beautiful and a form of recycling. The colors are vivid and make me think of midcentury modern prints and it contains my preference for flowing organic forms. Other car makers and surfboard painters have upcycled cabachons, but the name Fordite has stuck to the auto material. I haven’t seen others use prongs with this material, so I wanted to do that. I like it because it keeps the earrings light and you can see the layers of paint overspray on the side and the colors on the back too. Each pair has a slightly different design: swing, drop and dangle. Is Fordite an Art Jewelry material? I say YES!

Making the prongs for Fordite earrings in my studio. Those colors are amazing!