Jewellery artists and designer make their mark at Royal Mint

Jewellery creators from the UK should be pleased as punch this week, as they see their designs go into production for the Olympic medals.

Production has now started on London's 2012 medals at the Royal Mint HQ in South Wales.

Approximately 4'700 medals will be produced in total, which will be awarded in 850 medal ceremonies across the Olympics Paralympic in next year's ceremonies.

The Olympic medals have been designed by British artist David Wilkins, and the Paralympics medals designed by Lin Cheung, a practising jewellery artist and senior lecturer in jewellery design at Central Martins College of Arts and Design.

During the production process each medal will be struck 15 times and will be rolled through a 750-degree furnace three times in a process taking around 10 hours.

The ore has been supplied from mines in Utah, USA and Mongolia.

"We are immensely proud and honoured to be able to strike the Olympic and Paralympic medals," said Royal Mint chief executive Adam Lawrence.

"More than 800 local people are employed by the Royal Mint, and now each one will be able to tell their children and grandchildren that they - and south Wales - had a hand in creating a piece of Olympic history."

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