Well the week is almost up and we are ready to celebrate Chinese New Year this weekend.
Wanted to wish all our family and friends a Happy Chinese New Year. Tonight starts the Olympic games in Vancouver. All those medals you will see on the winners, the Gold, Silver and Bronze...were made by my brother and his team at the Mint in Ottawa, Canada. How cool is that.
May they shine brightly...hopefully many will go to our fellow Canadian athletes.
A little bit about the medals..
Medals by the Numbers
2.05 – kilograms of gold used in production of medals
30 – number of steps in fabrication process
95 millimetres – width of Paralympic medal
100 millimetres – diameter of Olympic medals
399 – medals for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games
500 grams to 576 g – weight of medals, among the heaviest in Olympic and Paralympic history.
615 – medals for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
903 – kilograms of copper used in production of bronze medals
1,950 – kilograms of silver used in production of medals
1976 – the last year the Royal Canadian Mint created medals for the Olympic Games
More facts:
All medals for the 2010 Winter Games were manufactured in the Mint's Ottawa facility.
It took one year of planning, innovation and prototype development to bring the ambitious design of the athlete medals to life and proceed to production.
There are a total of 615 athlete medals for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
There are a total of 399 athlete medals for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
Weighing between 500 and 576 grams each, Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games medals are among the heaviest in Games history.
34 Mint engineers, engravers, die technicians, machinists and production experts have combined forces to create an unforgettable series of athlete medals.
Over 30 steps, representing 402 days (2817 hours) of precision manufacturing, were taken to produce the medals.
The undulated (wavy) form of the medals for the 2010 Winter Games is a first.
Every Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games medal is unique – no two designs are the same.
To strike the medals into their unconventional shape, a total of 12 undulated dies had to be computer-sculpted and milled.
Given the undulated (wavy) form of the medals, the motifs and text had to be individually laser engraved.
The undulating form of each medal for the 2010 Winter Games was inspired by snow, the sea and the breathtaking natural environment of British Columbia.
The unique design of every medal for the 2010 Winter Games reflects the athlete's individual story and achievement.
The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games medals include Braille on the reverse.
A clear, protective coating has been applied to prevent tarnishing of all medals for the 2010 Winter Games.
Each medal was struck nine times with 1900 tons of pressure – that's the weight of 760 cars piled on top of each other.
Check it out: http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-medals/vancouver-2010-medals/
Proud of my baby brother and all his hard work. Bravo Jason!
Hugs,
Karen
