14k Gold olive leaves ring from Kotinos Collection. The olive wreath, also known as kotinos was the prize for the winner at the ancient Olympic Games.It was a branch of the wild olive tree Kallistefanos Elea that grew at Olympia. The branches of the sacred wild-olive tree near the temple of Zeus were cut with a pair of golden scissors by a pais amphithales (a boy whose parents were both alive). Then he took them to the temple of Hera and placed them on a gold-ivory table. From there, the Hellanodikai (the judges of the Olympic Games) would take them, make the wreaths and crown the winners of the Olympic Games.There was only one winner per event, crowned with an olive wreath made of wild-olive leaves from the sacred tree near the temple of Zeus at Olympia. Olive wreaths were given out during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens in honor of the ancient tradition, because the games were being held in Greece which was also used as the official emblem. All jewelry are handcrafted in our workshop in the center of Athens.