THE prospect of wearing your dinner has never seemed so attractive.
A necklace made of cape gooseberries and a hairpin crafted from fennel and anchovies are among the unusual and (almost) edible designs in what should - initially at least - be called Liverpool's freshest jewellery show.
Food for Thought is billed as a mouth-watering exhibition by a network of seven Merseyside designers who each made a one-off piece inspired by the title theme.
Among the non-edible pieces in the collection are a striking red and green felt bracelet and brooch modelled on salad leaves and cherry tomatoes, by city centre designer Laura Naylor.
Fellow artist Barry Swerdlow from Sefton Park used natural rare woods to replicate liquorice all-sorts as earrings and rings, in black, brown, pink and yellow.
South Liverpool jeweller Anthony Wong, who normally works in precious metals and jewels, said the aim of the project was to experiment with unusual materials, colours and textures.
"We wanted to celebrate everything that's exciting and sensuous about food.
"Food is something to relish and be enjoyed, and it's the same with jewellery," said Mr Wong, secretary of the Mersey Jewellers and Metal Artists Network (MJMAN).
And as Paris catwalk fashions eventually filter down to the highstreet, network members hope their extraordinary creations will help influence the next generation of jewellers.
"We all use different kinds of materials in our work, but the idea of food was exciting to us because you immediately think of brilliantly bright and juicy colours and contrasts.
"The result was some quite sculptural pieces, some of which you can't actually wear. A lot of it is about the design process, but like catwalk fashion designs, they will inspire people to think differently about jewellery," said Mr Wong.
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