At first glance these might strike you as precious stones dug up from centuries before.

Tokens of a bygone era when cars were largely painted by hand. Simply incredible.

The truth is that they are what’s called Fordite, or Detroit Agate.

They’re actually paint deposits made from old car painting racks when automobiles were painted by hand.

As the vehicles’ paint would drip off, it would get baked onto the rack and solidify, and over time would grow to be several inches thick.

Ambitious workers who knew they might be worth something some day would chip the stones off and save them.

When the stones are ground and polished, they reveal a striking array of beautiful colors.

More than anything the stones harken back to the golden age of American automobiles, when cars were painted by hand.

You can see many of the old colors that aren’t so popular today – like pastel yellow or sea green.

These Gorgeous Stones Were Created During The Car Painting Process Decades Ago In Detroit.

Tokens of a bygone era when cars were largely painted by hand. Simply incredible.

At first glance these might strike you as precious stones dug up from centuries before.

The truth is that they are what’s called Fordite, or Detroit Agate.

They’re actually paint deposits made from old car painting racks when automobiles were painted by hand.

As the vehicles’ paint would drip off, it would get baked onto the rack and solidify, and over time would grow to be several inches thick.

Ambitious workers who knew they might be worth something some day would chip the stones off and save them.

When the stones are ground and polished, they reveal a striking array of beautiful colors.

More than anything the stones harken back to the golden age of American automobiles, when cars were painted by hand.

You can see many of the old colors that aren’t so popular today – like pastel yellow or sea green.

Modern jewelers have tried to replicate the process of creating Fordite, but they don’t turn out exactly like these stones.

And they’re nowhere near as valuable as the unique story that each of these stones tell.