As most of us in the western world will attest, the fruit pit is a nuisance — something picked out of our produce, or eaten around and discarded. Or, in the case of those god-awful watermelon pits, enthusiastically gathered in our cheek and spit across the picnic table.

But for centuries in China, fruit pits have been an art medium, with works traced back as far as the Song Dynasty (960-1279). And by the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), fruit pit carving had become one of the most appreciated art forms in mainland China.

Peach stones, the most popular and widely used pit, are to this day carried around as talismans, or worn around the neck to ward of demons. No mention if there are any artists brave enough to give the watermelon pit some appeal.

 

[see more here, via Oddity Central]