Master carver to engrave crystals from last year's New Year's Eve ball sold as mementos

Dropped in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, the Constellation Ball was created with 5,280 Waterford crystals that incorporated three different designs to represent life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in honor of the nation's 250th birthday in 2026.

On Thursday, people can buy one of those crystals and get their names engraved on it as a memento. They will be replaced with new crystals to ring in 2027 with a theme yet to be announced.

It takes about three days to make each crystal by hand for the roughly 12-foot (3.7-meter) geodesic sphere that weighs 12,350 pounds (5,602 kilograms). The process involves the design, molding, kilning and the finishing of each crystal. Waterford, a longtime luxury crystal brand from Ireland, has designed the New Year’s Eve ball’s crystals for over 25 years. Some new crystals are swapped in every year.

Richard White, a master cutter for Waterford, flew to New York City to engrave the crystals that vary in size from 1.5 to 4 inches in diameter. White will use a small electronic pen with a diamond tip to engrave names on the small crystal pieces Thursday.

“To be actually here and to be up close, personal with it, is a real excitement for me,” White said of seeing the completed ball.

Delfin Ortiz, general manager and senior vice president of One Times Square, the 26-story building from which the annual ball drops, said the crystals are part of “tomorrow's history.”

A New Year’s Eve ball was first dropped in Times Square in 1907. Built by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr, the 700-pound (318-kilogram), 5-foot (1.52-meter) diameter ball was made of iron and wood and featured 100 25-watt light bulbs. Nine versions of the ball have been featured in the century-plus since that first celebration.

The only years no ball drop occurred were 1942 and 1943, when the city instituted a nightly “dimout” during World War II to protect itself from attacks. Crowds instead celebrated the new year with a moment of silence followed by chimes rung from the base of One Times Square.

One Times Square began offering crystals for purchase last year, though Thursday marks the first time they will be engraved.

The prices of the crystals range between $140 and $195, depending on the size.