Jewelry News

Olympic Jewelry: The True Cost Of A Gold

February 17, 2010

There's a group of people around the world that spend their lives training, practicing for and dreaming of a big gold pendant. This gold accessory is generally hung in a house - sometimes framed - and by any account, cannot be considered the 'perfect' accessory for an everyday ensemble.

This pendant, also known as an Olympic Gold medal represents blood, sweat and tears. The quest for which, as witnessed recently in Vancouver, can also be lethal. One would think that such a jewel is invaluable. Well, in many respects it is. You can only get it if you're the best in your field. Wearing it is a cause of national pride and in all honesty - it's a jewel for the young. Once you get to your 30s, the chances of hanging one around your neck decreases immensely. So - invaluable? Sort of. Is it worth millions? In pride yes, in dollars - more like $200.

The ultimate prize for the winter Olympians in Vancouver is a rather heavy medal plated with 6 grams of gold. Weighing in at over a pound, these medals are not for the slight of frame.

The performance of the medals is garnering mixed reviews (not from those that actually win them though - without exception the athletes are elated to own one). According to the medal's designers, Vancouver architect Omer Arbel and artist Corrine Hunt, inspiration for the designs was drawn from ocean waves, snowdrifts and mountain ranges. Critics note they seem more representative though of potato chips and the melting clocks from Salvador Dali's painting "The Persistence of Memory."

Our opinion - it's one wavy, snowy, mountainous, potato chip, melting clock that's priceless, timeless and stunningly beautiful.

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