Fordite (or "Detroit Agate") was taken in its raw form from the spray booth at the Ford River Rouge plant in the 1970s. 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.