Chaumet’s mission to design medals is far from being trivial, and a few explanations are needed to better understand the work that goes into them. Here’s how it works: metal blanks, previously cut into discs, arrive at the workshops of the Monnaie de Paris. They are then minted several times in a press equipped with a special tool called a matrix, to bring to life the design imagined by Paris 2024 and Chaumet. In accordance with the IOC guidelines, the gold and silver medals are made of solid silver, with a grade of 925 thousandths. Like the 6 grams of gold contained in the most coveted medal, the silver is also certified 100% recycled by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), one of the world’s leading control bodies for good practice in the sourcing of gold and precious metals. As for the medal of the third step of the podium, the bronze, made from an alloy of copper, tin and zinc, comes from the recycling of offcuts from other Monnaie de Paris productions. But what makes these medals so exceptional is the presence of a piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower, set like a jewel in the center of each one: little pieces of France’s emblem just waiting for the athletes. Say Who was there on the historical evening of the 2024 Olympic medals unveiling.