Fruit seed carving is an almost forgotten ancient craft, though natural jewelry may never have been as important as it is today.

Apricot pit carving is a well-known Hungarian tradition. In the past, it was the occupation of shepherds, soldiers, foresters, and last but not least, prisoners, as quite obviously they had all the time in the world needed for this great activity.

Europe’s most famous core carving from the 16th century is kept in the Dresden Treasury. Master Leopold Pronner of Nuremberg carved a portrait of 185 courtiers into a single cherry seed. He presented the work to the Saxon prince, who in return released him from prison.

The earliest master we know of in Hungary is Imre Csöke, a forester who carved peach seeds in the 1830s. Gábor Bognár was another famous pit cutter, known as the Christ-carver in Tihany, who carved Madonna and Christ heads into apricot pits. It is also important to mention the name of János Hermann, the best miniature carver still alive today in Hungary.

Even though there might not seem to be a great amount of people involved in pit cutting at the same time, some people still keep this tradition alive.