I Learn Something New Everyday

Wow, two posts in one day!!! How could I not post about this for my fellow bloggers who might want to know about it..... I don't think I mentioned that not only am I a jewelry designer but I also teach. Today I taught a wonderful lady how to knot. She was from Detroit. I admired a ring she was wearing. (Darn, I should have taken a picture of it. I will get better about this for future blogging). Her ring looked like some sort of Jasper stone set in silver. She told me it was called Fordite. It was made from paint chips from the Ford car factory. She later sent me this info:

Hi Wendy -

Thank you again for teaching me how to make knotted jewelry - I truly enjoyed your instructions and will more than likely be calling to schedule the basic wire wrapping class. Here is the information on my ring - "Fordite (or "Detroit Agate") was taken in its raw form from the spray booth at the Ford River Rouge plant in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Chunks of layered automotive paint were painstakingly scraped from the conveyor, then cut and polished into gems. Patterns emerge from the Fordite depending on the angle of the cut or depth of the polishing. Since technology has replaced the spray booth, Fordite is becoming increasingly rare and valuable." - James Blanchard, Traverse City, Michigan.
Thanks again and will be scheduling the class soon.

So I am off to google Fordite and Mr. Blanchard who made the ring to see what else there is to know about it. Sue, if you're reading my blog, thanks for the lovely afternoon. : )