Atomic Highway Sterling Silver and Fordite Bullseye Motel Pendant – #248

The Atomic Highway pendant series was inspired by the shapes of vintage motel and diner signs. These shapes have been translated into modern retro designs. No two are exactly alike as they are made one at a time. This is a more literal interpretation of a motel sign. I’m calling this one the Bullseye Motel. This is a long pendant; 3″ from top to bottom. The design and name of this piece were inspired by the bullseye look of the round Fordite “stone”. I added an arrow in silver near the bottom.

This pendant features a piece of Fordite. Fordite is a “stone” comprised of many layers of automotive paint that used to build up on the rails in automotive plants. Cars are not painted in the same way today so “new” Fordite is not available. Parts would be sprayed with paint, then baked, then that was repeated over and over and layers of paint built up on the rails that held the parts. Eventually, the build-up became too thick and it was chipped off. Some clever person realized that if you cut and shaped it like a cabochon gemstone, you could reveal the layers of paint colors in swirls that looked similar to the patterns in agates and get a nice high polish on it like you would a gemstone or the surface of a recently-waxed car. Therefore, this material is also called “Detroit agate”. The information card pictured in this listing will be included with this pendant.

This Fordite was cut and polished by a professional stone cutter and I made the setting. The back is a solid piece of sterling silver. It is protected by a thin sterling silver wire “cage” over part of the stone that echoes the lines on a target.

The Fordite is attached to the silver pendant with a silver tube rivet.

When you buy a pendant in this series, you also receive a printed card like the one pictured explaining what Fordite is.

This hand forged Atomic Highway pendant measures 1 and 3/4 inches wide by 3 inches tall. This is a long pendant. It makes a statement. The rustic and uneven “old sign” lettering is stamped into the surface of the silver.

Forged by me from sterling silver sheet and sterling wire. This is rustic. You can see the hammer marks and rough surface. This pendant has been darkened with silver oxidizer to bring out the hammer marks, then sealed with archival wax to help protect the finish.

20″ stainless steel bead chain included. If you want another length of stainless steel chain, let me know and I’ll replace the 20″ chain with one of your desired length (no additional cost).

This pendant has a large bail so you can easily replace the included stainless steel bead chain with your own chain.

Price includes USPS Priority Mail shipping inside the U.S.