Actress Blake Lively Unveils the Swarovski Star for the 2010 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

NEW YORK, Nov. 18, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Actress Blake Lively today joined Swarovski, the leading designer and producer of fashion jewelry, to unveil the 2010 Swarovski Star that will crown the world-famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree this holiday season.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101118/NY05052 )

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101118/NY05052 )

Lively donned jewelry from Swarovski's current collection for the unveiling event including the Bella Earrings and Nirvana Ring. Swarovski offers a selection of holiday jewelry and ornaments on sale at the Swarovski boutique and holiday kiosk at Rockefeller Center and at Swarovski boutiques nationwide and online at www.swarovski.com.  The collection includes stylish star-inspired crystal jewelry and the 2010 Annual Edition Ornament.  

"Christmas is my favorite time of year and I am excited Swarovski asked me to join them in celebrating such a wonderful holiday tradition," said Lively.

"This is the seventh year the Swarovski Star will top the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree," said Kevin Coen, Executive Vice President of Swarovski North America Limited's Consumer Goods Business. "We are very pleased that Blake Lively could join us in celebrating the season and welcoming the Swarovski Star back to Rockefeller Center where visitors from around the world can appreciate its captivating brilliance."

The 2010 Swarovski Star's 12 rays are outfitted with 720 LED bulbs on 3,000 feet of wire to create a dazzling, twinkling effect through customized light sequencing programmed by a complex computer system.  Comprised of 25,000 crystals, with 1,000,000 facets, the Star measures 9-1/2 feet in diameter and is 1-1/2 feet deep.  The Star weighs 550 pounds, including 300 pounds of crystal panels, and is composed of six outer rays and six smaller inner rays.

The main surfaces of the rays are made of point-mounted safety glass, the same shatter-proof glass that adorns the facades of New York City buildings.  The crystals are affixed to the inner sides of the glass in a tight, scale-like pattern to ensure maximum brilliance.

A team of nine artisans spent 1,200 hours installing, programming and testing the star to ensure the effects would withstand the challenging winter weather conditions 74-feet above Rockefeller Center.  An exact replica of the Swarovski Star will also be on display in Rockefeller Center Plaza to allow visitors the opportunity to get a closer view of the detailing and craftsmanship.

After the reveal, the Star was raised atop the 74-foot-high, 40-foot wide, 12-ton Norway Spruce in Rockefeller Center, where it will sit for the remainder of the 2010 holiday season.  This is the seventh consecutive year a Swarovski Star tops the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

The 78th Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, November 30th, from 7 PM-9 PM. The two-hour ceremony will be televised live, locally on WNBC-TV from 7 PM-8 PM and nationally on NBC from 8 PM-9 PM.

Rockefeller Center officially began the Tree Lighting Ceremony in 1933, when a Christmas tree was erected in front of the then-RCA Building and covered with 700 lights.  Christmas trees in Rockefeller Center have ranged from 50-foot Pines to 100-foot Norway Spruces and are viewed by millions of spectators during the holiday season.

Spectators can view the lighted tree each day from 5:30 A.M. - 11:30 P.M.; all day (24 hours) on Christmas; and from 5:30 A.M. – 9 P.M. on New Year's Eve.  The last day to view the tree is January 7, 2011.

SOURCE Swarovski