This tree is Rockestellar
New luxe star topper
Here’s a star that’s blinged out more than any pricey bauble in the Diamond District.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree’s radiant new topper (above) — which features an eye-popping 3 million Swarovski crystals on 70 spikes — is shined up and ready to be hoisted by workers Wednesday onto the recently arrived tree.
The massive ornament was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, who is world renowned for his work on top-tier museums as well as the master plan for the World Trade Center site.
“To me there was no difference between designing a large-scale cultural building and a 10-foot-wide-diameter star,” said Libeskind, who first started sketching out the star two years ago.
“It’s equally complex on many levels because of the uniqueness of every one of those rays and every one of those crystals.”
The star was made by a team of 12 engineers and lighting experts at locations in Austria and Rhode Island. It will replace the old star, which was unveiled in 2004 and had a mere 25,000 crystals.
“It will really become part of New York City, whose buildings are also all angular and crystalline in form,” Libeskind said.
The son of Polish Jews and Holocaust survivors, Libeskind doesn’t celebrate Christmas, but says the Rockefeller Center tree is iconic for New Yorkers and visitors of all backgrounds.
“The tree is universal,” Libeskind said. “You can be Chinese, you can be Jewish, you can be Buddhist, you can be Shinto, you can be anyone from any corner of the world and come and see the star as something that speaks to you.
“It’s really a symbol of unity,” he added.
The tree will be officially lit for the season in a ceremony on Nov. 28.