The Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games has announced on Wednesday that medals for the Olympics will be encrusted with the distinctive mineral jade from China’s province of Qinghai. This will be the first time that Olympic medals will be made with other materials other than metal.

The Olympic committee has shown a unique medal design in which the gold, silver and bronze medals will be laid with a distinctive band of jade.

The jade will come from a Kunlun Mountain area near Ge’ermu City, Qinghai. The province has an abundant reserve of jade and the manufacture will be very carefully supervised.

The gold medal will have lighter finer jade set in its back while the silver will have a white-greenish jade. The bronze will have a darker green jade.

Source: AHN News