How to create an Avocado Pit Necklace

Carving avocado seeds is an unique passion that combines creativity with nature. I found this passion in 2021, when I first try to carve an avocado seed. I will present you the steps about how to turn these kitchen scraps into art pieces.

• First Step – Carrefully cut the avocado, you don’t want to hurt your future avocado seed neckalce. You should clean the seed off any remaining fruit, just with a cloth or a paper napkin ( don’t use chemicals or soap ). 
• Step Two – Let the seed dry for few days, until the skin starts to wrinkle and peel the skin off the avocado seed.

• Step Three – Avocado pits are usually composed of two parts, separate the two parts of avocado pit (you have the possibility to create 2 necklaces and avoid the risk of the necklace cracking when it dries)

• Step Four – Draw your design, before you start carving an avocado pit it’s very helpful if you sketch your design on the seed. You can use a pencil or a pen to draw your design directly onto the surface of the seed. This is a very important step, as it guides your carving and helps a lot to avoid mistakes.

• Step Five – Let the fun begin – Carving the avocado pit – You will need a very small knife, or a specialized carving tool ( which I recommend ). You can start with the larger sections of your design and after you finish them gradually work your way to the finer details. You should be very patient, because avocado seeds are soft ( if they are not fully dried ) , and can be tricky to carve them. If you make a small mistake, you should not worry, because the seed texture allows you for some flexibility, and sometimes minor errors can be corrected or incorporated into the design. 

• Step Six – Smoothing and Finishing – When your design is complete, use fine-grit sandpaper to smooth out the surfaces of your carving ( you can use a mini drill ). If you want to better preserve your work, you should apply a light coat of natural oil, like linseed oil, tung oil, to protect the seed and bring out its rich color. For a better protection agains water and an additional shine, you can use varnish. Finally, if you want to wear your new natural handmade jewelry, you should drill a small hole on top of your avocado pit, insert an eyelet screw and attach a rope of waxed cotton to it, and you will have a necklace created by you. Happy Carving!