Elena Votsi (Greek: Έλενα Βότση; born 1964 on

Hydra island Hydra, or Ydra or Idra ( el, Ύδρα, Ýdra, , Arvanitika: Nύδρα/Nidhra), is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece, located in the Aegean Sea between the Myrtoan Sea and the Argolic Gulf. It is separated from the Peloponnese by a narrow st ...

) is a Greek jewelry designer. Votsi completed a degree at the School of Fine Arts in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

in painting, followed by a master's degree at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It ...

in London in jewelry. In 2003 she won the competition to re-design the

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

medal for the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

, the first time the medal had been changed since 1928. Votsi's design was adopted by the International Olympic Committee for all future Summer Olympic Games medals. Her handmade 18-karat gold ring with diamonds won the 2009 Couture Design Award in the category "Best in the New-to-Couture," a category for first-time exhibitors at the Las Vegas show.

References

External links

*
Olympic Museum page
on Athens 2004 medals

in International Jewellery Living people 1964 births 20th-century Greek women artists 21st-century Greek women artists Alumni of the Royal College of Art Greek jewelry designers Greek designers People from Hydra (island) {{designer-stub