Ever since their debut on August 8th, the Olympic medals have caught the eyes of athletes and spectators from around the world.

For the first time in Olympic history, the Olympic medals blend metal and jade. The technique of inlaying jade into metal can be dated back to the Han Dynasty 2000 years ago. And in Chinese culture, jade is a symbol of class and elegance.

According to Games officials, the medals combined western and eastern elements. For example, 13 kilograms of gold and 1.3 tons of silver were sourced from Australia, and nearly seven tons of bronze were sourced from Chile. While jade were collected from west China's Kunlun mountain.

The designers put a seal between the inner layer and a groove to bond metal and jade. The seal can also buffer the effect of vibration to protect the jade against impact.

Cui Ning, deputy minister of cultural division, BOCOG, says "We keep in constant contact with experts at the IOC during the designing and manufacturing process. We provide them with upgraded samples and they approved and appreciated them all."

Shanghai Mint was the official manufacturer of the medals. The first and foremost concern is to make sure the purity of the gold, silver and bronze reached the IOC standard. The medal makers also have to cope with Shanghai's humidity which is usually as high as 85 percent. They use powerful drying machines to lower the indoor humidity so the surface color of the silver and bronze medals are be preserved.

In Beijing, the jade medals have become the talk of the town. The Olympic organizers hope grace and delicacy of medals will be remembered in years to come.

(CCTV.com August 20, 2008)