Surfite: A Surfboard Manufacturing Byproduct
The Tucson gem and jewelry shows provide a venue for creative minds continuously pushing the boundaries of materials that can be used in jewelry. Industrial byproducts of unexpected origin sometimes become well-received and even desired products in the gem and jewelry marketplace, including fordite, a byproduct of an automobile painting process (Spring 2016 GNI, pp. 87–88). Over the past decade, fordite has become a popular item at trade shows.
A colorful translucent material called surfite recently caught the author’s attention in Tucson. Surfite is produced from the solidified accumulation of surfboard paint. More than two dozen steps are followed to produce a surfboard, including the hot-coat and gloss-coat paint procedures. Much like fordite forms, as paint is poured on a surfboard, it often drips on the floor below, leaving gradually hardened layers that accumulate in random patterns over time. This accumulation process can take several weeks before a workable thickness is reached.
Once treated as waste and thrown into landfills, this material is now exploited by some creative artists for use in jewelry making. Multiple exhibitors at the Colors of the Stone and Pueblo shows carried surfite cabochons of various shapes (see above). These cabochons can be mounted in precious metal or drilled to make a pendant. The material can also be shaped into a hololith-style ring or bangle. Unlike the opaque fordite, surfite is often translucent, which might be caused by a difference in paints used or the method of paint application.
As the gem and jewelry trade continues to explore sustainable practices, recycling and repurposing can open new doors to the industry. Many industrial byproducts can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in landfills. Recognizing the beauty of these materials and applying them in jewelry can allow designers to embark on a new creative journey.
