DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Electricians working atop a New York City skyscraper have installed the last of the 2,688 crystal triangles that give the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball its shimmer.
Each year, the Waterford crystals that make up the skin of the huge orb are replaced with new pieces of glass. The finishing touches were completed Friday.
This year's design features a kaleidoscopic pattern that will refract light in a splash of 16 million colors as the ball drops down a flagpole at the stroke of midnight.
One crystal stands out from the rest. It was crafted from a drawing of a rose submitted by a 12-year-old cancer patient at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.
Waterford executives say the rose represents "the gift of imagination."
