The first jeweler in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to have the honor of designing these medals, Maison Chaumet embarked on the task with creativity and passion. Conceived by the Chaumet design studio, these medals illustrate the shared vocation of LVMH and the renowned Parisian jeweler: The Art of Crafting Dreams. Chaumet drew inspiration from its rich heritage, its powerfully evocative stylistic repertoire, as well as iconic symbols of France and Paris, resulting in a truly unique design that fuses tradition and modernity. With striking creativity and innovation, Chaumet has reinvented the most coveted of all awards for elite athletes. The medal design is both confident and bold, perfectly matched to the sporting feats of the athletes.
The hexagon, a visual emblem symbolizing France, is also a cherished figure for Chaumet. Reprised from the Maison’s style vocabulary, the eight -sided symbol which also represents France is amplified by a series of rays that evoke the radiance of the nation as it hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, as well as that of the athletes whose performances will thrill the world, along with the radiance of exceptional savoir-faire. This radiance is heightened by the faceting on the medals, designed to reflect light and evoke the French capital’s much-loved nickname, the City of Light. At the same time, it imparts a special brilliance to the athletes who will wear the medals around their necks. These rays engraved in the metal breathe dynamism and life into this exceptional object.
The materials chosen for the medals are highly symbolic as well. Made of gold, silver or bronze, these are above all medals from Paris. Paris 2024 and its Athletes Commission, headed by Martin Fourcade, felt that the medal-winning champions should have a little piece of France close to their heart. The center of each medal has thus been cut from an authentic piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower, preserved during the renovation of the monument.
Chaumet has innovated by crafting this center in a hexagon shape and setting it inside the medal with a technique known as “griffe setting”, which the Maison employs for the precious gemstones in its high jewelry pieces. This setting evokes the ‘Clous de Paris’ hobnail motif found in fine jewelry, as well as the pattern of rivets on the Eiffel Tower itself.
The other side, which is identical for all Games, illustrates the rebirth of the modern Olympic Games in Greece. Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, is depicted against the backdrop of the Acropolis leaving the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first Modern Olympics were held in 1896. For this edition of the Games, Paris 2024 wanted the Eiffel Tower to join the Acropolis. This side of the Olympic medal thus pays tribute to the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece, as well as the modern Games, which this year celebrate their return to the French capital a century after the 1924 Summer Olympics.
Sharing this desire to celebrate Paris on the Paralympics medals, the creative team was given carte blanche to design the obverse side. Chaumet chose to depict a view from the foot of the Eiffel Tower looking up, a perspective very familiar to both Parisians and visitors. The inscription ‘Paris 2024’ also figures on the medal and is engraved in universal braille, symbolizing accessibility, as well as a nod to the French inventor of the language, Louis Braille.
Crafted with exquisitely French savoir-faire, the red or blue ribbons reprise the elegant, tapered lines of the Eiffel Tower.
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