Salt Lake City jeweler 'loves' creating Olympic rings for Team USA: 'It's like Christmas'

Salt Lake City was officially named the host of the 2034 Winter Olympics on Wednesday. That's excellent news for O.C. Tanner, the company that has made commemorative rings for every Team USA athlete for over 20 years.

O.C. Tanner's only U.S. location is in Salt Lake City, which hosted the 2002 Winter Games. In fact, the 2034 Olympics will be a full-circle moment: The 2002 Olympics were when the company, which primarily creates items for employee recognition, became involved with making jewelry for Team USA Olympians and Paralympians.

"They asked us if we'd be willing to donate team rings," said company vice president Sandra Christensen via Fox13. "And there has been a history of Olympic team rings for Team USA commemorative rings, but there were gaps in support for that."

So the company signed on to make those rings in 2002, and they've made them for every Olympics since — 13 total. And Christensen loves watching first-time Olympians find out that they're getting some bling to take back home with them.

"It's like Christmas," Christensen said. "So we're there and they find out they're getting the Olympic ring, and the new Olympians who have never made the team before are like, 'Are you kidding me, I get a team ring? I had no idea this was coming!"

That tradition of making commemorative rings for Team USA, which brings a lot of pride to O.C. Tanner's employees, is expected to continue through the Winter Olympics' return to SLC in 2034.

"It's amazing. We love doing the Olympic rings," shared an employee working on the Paris rings, via Fox 13. "To be part of the team, almost, Team USA, even though we're not the athlete, we're still able to help provide something for them to celebrate their success and all their hard work."

O.C. Tanner also created all the medals for the 2002 Olympics, which were handcrafted entirely in Utah.

"At that time, they were the heaviest metals ever created. But everything in these medals ... is that the materials came from Utah. The medals were designed and produced and donated all from the host city, and that was a first as well," Christensen explained.

It's not known if the company will create the Olympic medals for the 2034 Games, but Christensen said everyone is already coming up with ideas to best the 2002 models.