Fordite Circle Pendant – #437

This pendant was hand-fabricated, by me, from sterling silver sheet and wire, formed with a selection of vintage hammers with all pieces cut by hand using a jeweler’s saw.

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, substantial piece of sterling silver. It is a larger piece of Fordite in gorgeous swirls of orange and black and red with a touch of white. This pendant has a clean, modern look thanks to the heavy silver that provides the back “wall” of this setting. The other two edges of the Fordite “stone” are left visible and you can see the hundreds of layers of car paint that make up this stone alone the edges. The Fordite is completely encircled by a ring of silver, crafted from a piece of hand-forged silver wire. This hammered element has been oxidized to bring out the hammer marks and sealed with an archival acrylic wax. This ring also makes the bail for the piece. The base and “setting” of the pendant has a bright tumble-polish finish.

This Fordite “stone” is one half of a large piece. The OTHER half was used to make the cuff bracelet listed here in my store as item number 414 – follow this link to see the companion to this piece: They would look great if worn together; two halves of one whole. OR, one could be worn by one friend and the other by another so they are each wearing one half of this piece of Fordite.

The Fordite is attached to the base of the pendant with one offset fine silver tube rivet that goes all the way through the piece. The shape of this pendant was inspired by the Fordite “stone” itself. The hand-forged silver ring that makes up the bail is very large to make it possible for you to swap out the stainless steel chain included with the pendant for a favorite chain that you already own. It also allows the pendant to be worn with the wide end of the Fordite up or down (see photos of the piece being worn).

This pendant measures a larger 1 and 7/8 inches tall by 1 and 1/8 inches wide. This is a substantial, slightly weighty piece that has a great feel to it.

A 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).

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