Understanding Medals' Specifications

1. Choosing the material

Your choice of the material can be split into two metal categories according to your needs. In the first category which represents theCommon Metals you can choose between brass and copper, whereas in the second category, which represents the Noble Metals, you can choose between silver and gold.

Common metals:

Click on any of the medals below to view a larger image.

m1	m2
Brass	Copper

Noble metals:

m4	m3
Silver	Gold

2. Specifying the Thickness of Your Medal

The thickness of your medal could be 2, 3, 4 or 5 mm.

3. Figuring out the Shape and Dimension of your medal

Circular shapes are by far the most popular shapes medals take; we have ready made cutting dies that allow us to produce the following medal diameters (in mm): 

30 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 60 - 70 - 75

30mm

35mm

40mm

50mm

60mm

70mm

75mm

If your medal has a special or unusual shape however, a cutting die has to be produced. Producing cutting dies is costly, so unless you have clear reasons, we highly recommend that you choose a circular shape. All we need from you in this case is to send us information on the shape that you want along with its dimensions.

decoration	rectangle	square
circle	heart	trophy

4. Choosing the Relief Type

The relief type has a major influence on the final appearance of a medal, if you are looking for a common type of medal we suggest that you select a 2D Relief, if however you are looking for a finer and more attractive medal then a 3D Relief could be the best choice. Please take the time to read further information on both options below, hopefully they will shed more light on this issue and help you make a decision.

2d-8 Two dimensional relief

3d-4 Three dimensional relief

Two Dimensional Relief

This option is the most chosen for a relief type as it is the fastest and least expensive to produce. A 2D black and white inked design is produced with computer graphics software, black areas are read as extruded and white areas as embossed. The mold used to press this type of medal is easier to produce than 3D relief molds and accordingly is faster and less costly to produce. If you have a tight schedule and a low budget this might be the choice that you are looking for.

Click on any of the medals below to view a larger image.

2d-1	2d-2	2d-3
2d-4	2d-5	2d-6

2d-7

2d-9

Three Dimensional Relief

A sculptor produces a first enlarged model sculpt on clay using fine cutting and grating tools. The clay model then will be cast in plaster and reduced to the proper size using a special 3D reducing pantograph and will then be used to produce the pressing die. Digital 3D modeling techniques are also used for that matter. 3D medals have the most appealing impressions, they are also known as miniature works of art. If you are ahead of time, not so tight on budget and require a high volume of medals then this might be the option that you are looking for.

Click on any of the medals below to view a larger image.

3d-7

3d-2

3d-3

3d-5

3d-6

5. Specifying the Relief Degree

3d-4 High relief

coin5 Coin Relief

sunk7 Sunken relief

Coin Relief

Characterized by a very low relief, this effect is accomplished utilizing low pressure. This option is mainly used for mass production of tokens and coins where very high quantities are expected and where there are no further demands on the finished shape.

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge

coin3

coin4

Low Relief

Characterized by a low relief, the design elements are slightly projected from the background. This type is advised for those who would like to distribute quality medals but are under budget constraint.

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge

low1	low2	low3
low4	low5	low6

 

High Relief

This is by far the most chosen relief degree; in this case the design is strongly projected from the background, an effect that is accomplished with multiple press strikes. This method produces very fine medals and is specially recommended for negative proof and proof medals (See step 9).

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge

high1	high2
high3	high4

 

Sunken Relief

In this case it is the background of the medal that is projected rather than the design. This option is specially required if you have a 2D design with many colored elements. The pressing die of this relief is the least expensive to produce.

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge

sunk1	sunk2	sunk3
sunk4	sunk5	sunk6

7. Choosing the Plating and/or Patina

 

bronze1 Bronze patina

Silver3 Silver-plated

gold7 Gold-plated

antique3 Antiquated Silver

Plating

Electroplating is a process whereby a very thin layer of a metal is transferred chemically to cover the surface of another metal. For example a gold-plated medal has a very fine coat (only a few microns) of 24K gold. Because gold resists oxidization gold-plating will also protect your medal. Adding metal plating such as silver or gold makes your medal look more valuable and attractive. You may choose among the following plating options: None, Nickel, Silveror Gold.

Gold-Plated Medals

gold1	gold2	gold3
gold4	gold5	gold6

Silver-Plated Medals

Silver1

Silver2

Patina

Patina is a procedure used to discolor a metal by oxidation. For example Antique patina is used to artificially "age" a silver-plated or silver medal. Antiquating medals prevents tarnishing. All our medals are lacquered to further protect their finish.

Patina Options:

• None
• Bronze (only if your medal is made of brass and has no plating)
• Antique (only if you medal is made of silver or silver-plated)

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge the pictures

Bronze Patina

bronze2

bronze3

bronze4

Antique Patina

antique1

antique2

antique4

8. Applying Diamond Cut

Diamond cut is used to carve the medal's perimeter with a diamond. Ordering this feature adds to your medal's enrichment. You can choose between ten types of cuts which are shown to you in the pictures. If your medal is double-sided think about which side you want to have this effect applied, both sides however can be diamond cut.

dcut1	dcut2	dcut3
dcut4	dcut5	dcut6
dcut7	dcut8	dcut9

dcut10

9. Choosing the Finishing

 

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge the pictures

Coin finish

Matte finish

Negative proof

Brilliant uncirculated

 

Coin Finish

Without finish, no further processing is applied after a medal comes from the press. This could be the choice for people who have a limited budget.

Matte Finish

The medal is characterized by a dull metallic finish produced by sandblasting - this is done by pelting its surface with a very fine sand to break up the smooth surface. This procedure can be used on all kinds of medals.

matte2

matte3

matte4

matte5

matte6

BU or Brilliant Uncirculated

BU medals are characterized by an evenly bright shinning finish. A BU medal is like a coin taken from a roll of coins, fresh from the mint, that have never been circulated.

bu1

bu4

bu5

Negative Proof Finish

This is the most preferred and chosen medal finishing. It is a special finish applied with best results on high relief medals that is characterized by a matte medal surface contrasted with a reflective finish of the extruded parts. Negative proof medals can have a very impressive look because if plated or have a patina they can combine two metal colors on the same medal. For instance, if you take a brass medal with a bronze patina and apply this method you will get a bronze medal surface with brass colored raised parts, or if you have a silver plated brass medal you will get a silver medal surface with brass colored raised parts.

np1

np3

np5

np6

np7

Proof Finish

This finish is distinguished by a shining and highly reflective metallic surface (medal ground), contrasted with frosted matte finished relief parts (raised areas). Proof finish beautifully highlights the relief structure. Proof finish medals are struck from carefully pre-polished cleaned blanks by specially treated dies. Multiple strikes may be needed to bring out all design details. Not many medals of this type can be produced in a single day. This type of finish has the richest appearance and is the most expensive among all other types, hence if you are looking for the best and have the time this has got to be your choice.

proof1

proof2

proof3

proof4

10. Choosing whether to Color the Medal

You can choose to color the sunken parts of your medal, although for some cases the final appearance will be richer without the use of color. All our medals are color-filled manually and the color goes all the way through, so it cannot wear off.

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge the pictures

np1

color14

color1	color2	color8
color9	color10	color11

color12

color13

11. Presentation Methods

Identifying the purpose of use of your medal is instrumental in knowing how to present it. If for instance you want your award to stand out proud with glory in a ceremony under camera lens, lights and audiences then the box used for the presentation of your award should be fit for this special occasion, in this case a very luxurious presentation box. If however you just want to give a medal as a memo then a simple plastic box might be sufficient.

If you always want your medal to accompany the recipient then a key holder medalet might be what is looked for. Or if you know that your award will be sitting on a VIP's desk or shelf for a long time then make sure that you pick a luxury box that is fit for this purpose.

Purpose of Use

Shelf or Desk Display

Your medal comes mounted on a stand inside either a luxurious velvet or wooden box. Those boxes are hand made from wooden frames and covered with velvet or leather; they assure the best presentation of your medal. They come in a variety of colors that you can choose from; however the most common colors are dark blue, dark green and dark magenta. Leather and velvet boxes can be further customized to contain any text. You can also pick a less expensive box if you have a restricted budget.

lther1	lther2	lther3
velvt1	velvt2	velvt3
desk1	desk2	desk3
desk4	desk5	desk6
desk7	plastic1	plastic2
plastic3	plastic4	plastic5

Paper Weight

Our medals can come mounted on wooden, marble or plexiglass paper weights. They look very nice on desks and are well exposed.

pprw1	pprw2	pprw3
pprw4	pprw5	pprw6

Neck Ornament

The climax of every tournament or championship is the medal distribution ceremony where winners are honored for their success; it is customary to award neck medals in those kinds of events which are primarily sports related.

We have a wide variety of ribbon colors and patterns to fit your ceremony. You can also further enhance the presentation of your medal by including it in a leather sleeve pocket (available in many different colors).

neck

ribbons

Personal Treasure

In this case you might not need to put your medal in a fancy box because exposure might not be a priority for your target (award is only destined to be kept as a personal treasure), this is why we suggest that you choose to offer your medal in either a plastic box or a clear case similar to those used to keep coins.

pt

Badge Medal

Badge medal

Key Holder

You can choose to make a key holder out of your medal if your aim is to keep the people remembering whatever you want to include in your medal. Our key holder medalets combine luxury, durability and affordable price.

mkh1

mkh2

mkh3

Mounted on a Plaque or Trophy

Sometimes medals are used to be the focus of plaques and trophieswhich grants them a strong exposure, in other cases they are used to decorate them. Mounting a medal on those items adds a very rich look for both the medal and the plaque or trophy.

mplaq1	mplaq2	mplaq3
mplaq4	mtrph1	mtrph2
mtrph3	mtrph4	mtrph5