Team USA is absolutely dominating at the Summer Olympics!
Our athletes have won a total of 103 medals so far, and many athletes were surprised at how heavy the medals were.
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So, we started wondering if these Olympic medals are actually made of the materials they represent.
Danny Shaftel from Shaftel Diamonds is an expert jeweler and shared his expertise with KPRC 2.
“I went to the Olympics in 1996 with my father. He is a jeweler as well, and I asked him the same question,” Shaftel said.
“And, so actually, the silver medal is pure silver. The gold medal...is pure silver,” Shaftel shared.
“It’s plated with gold. So, it’s actually what’s called vermeil in the jewelry world, which happens to be a French word, and it’s a piece of jewelry or item that is sterling silver, which is 92.5% silver, plated with gold. And that gold is usually 14 carat or 18 karat gold.”
As for the bronze medals, they really are bronze, which is actually copper and tin according to Shaftel.
“Sometimes it mixes in other alloys like zinc to make it a little harder, a little less, prone to tarnishing. So yeah, they’re kind of what they say they are.”
In terms of their monetary value, that’s a little harder to say.
“As far as the intrinsic value goes, the value is priceless. It’s an Olympic medal. But let’s say if we took these medals and threw them in a fire and melted them down and just sold the pure metal. The gold medal, with that little bit of gold, you’re looking at roughly $750 to $800 worth of material. The silver, you’re looking at roughly $465. And are you ready for the bronze medal, which is copper and tin? It is $5!”
We also asked Shaftel why Olympians traditionally bite their medals. Does it really prove if a medal is gold?
“Actually, a pure a piece of pure gold is relatively soft. So back in the day, you know, you look at old Western movies, they would bite it to see if they could get their teeth sunken into it. It doesn’t work for silver or for a lot of other metals. Don’t try it at home.”