Bob, I love doing the universal wrap and use it a lot for my pieces. No two will come out alike and that is the beauty of it. You have done a great job.

The second photo is the Fordite.

Fordite is actually a manmade product that was an accidental discovery – and it’s no longer being created. Here’s the quick story of it – I think it’s a fascinating bit of history:

When automobiles were painted on an assembly line during most of the 20th century, the overspray of the enamel paint would land on surfaces inside the auto factory.

Over time, layer after layer of paint in different colors built up inside the factory (kind of like the natural strata layers we see in rocks).

Whenever the layers of car paint got thick enough to be an obstruction, the auto factory would have the excess paint removed from the factory surfaces – and all the fascinating layers of paint color could be seen.

At some point, a clever artistic person realized these chunks of layered auto paint could be cut and polished, and used as cabochons.

And in honor of their automotive roots, these wild, wonderful cabochons became known as “Fordite” (also sometimes called “Detroit agate” or “motor agate”).

Nowadays auto factories use a different method for painting cars, so there’s very little paint overspray to build up. So “Fordite” is no longer being created.

If you take another look at Bob’s second pendant above, you’ll clearly see the layers of automotive paint that made up this vividly colored cabochon!

I also like how you photographed your pieces here. Thanks for sharing!