Athens' Precious metals

[an error occurred while processing this directive] You don't have to be a top athlete to take home some gold from the Games. Athenians have been working the metal for millennia, and the glitzy Kolonaki district has a high concentration of jewelers purveying classic and modern designs.

Start out at Ilias Lalaounis, on 6 Panepistimiou Street, tel: (30-210) 362 4354, with its eclectic collection that ranges from solid-gold Byzantine-style necklaces to thoroughly modern earrings with the jagged contours of a Frank Gehry building.

Be sure to stop by Elena Votsi's store on 7 Xanthou Street, tel: (30-210) 360 0936, where the former Gucci designer (and creator of the 2004 Olympic medals) shows her latest wares, including a series of oversized, wafer-thin 18-carat rings.

The tiny Petaei-Petaei shop, on 30 Skoufa Street, tel: (30-210) 362 4315, showcases Greece 's newest talents, including Vali Kondidi, whose work with semiprecious stones is breathtaking yet affordable.

Outside Kolonaki, Zolotas, on 9 Stadiou Street, tel: (30-210) 331 3320, is famous for the gold work of its team of in-house designers. One of the shop's best sellers is a simple 22-carat necklace that hugs the throat.

Leave it to swimmer Michael Phelps and other overachieving athletes to collect their gold the hard way. All you need to do is bring a credit card.