Sudbury Machinists Build Core Of Rockefeller Christmas Tree Star

SUDBURY, MA—On Wednesday, a massive crystal star was placed atop the 72-foot Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, arguably the most famous tree in the country. While the star was designed by famed architect Daniel Libeskind and commissioned by Swarovski, all the parts to that star were built by Sudbury machinists Karl Borg and his sons Andrew and Brandon.

The three are Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School graduates and third-generation owners of Borg Design machine shop, which started in Sudbury but is now headquartered in Hudson. The shop specializes in large and small production runs that include intricate 3D machining, design work, machine building, assembly fixtures, prototypes, engineer consulting and machining.

So, how does one become involved in helping to construct a huge, crystal star for a famous holiday tree in New York City?

"In the early spring, Orion Red was asked to build the structure of the star, and based on our working relationship, they consulted with us to be sure that this was even possible," Andrew told Patch. "After many meetings, we were able to assist them in creating this year’s star."

The Borgs machined all the mechanical components for the star's core, which consists of 70 modules. Orion Red took the pieces, and assembled them with 70 spikes encrusted with more than three million Swarovski crystals.

"In the end, we machined components for a star for the top of a tree weighing more than 900 pounds," said Andrew, "and another that will be on display in front of Swarovski’s holiday kiosk for the public to view up close and for photo ops."

Earlier this week, the Today Show featured a first glimpse at this year's Rockefeller tree and its star. The Rockefeller Center tree lighting takes place on Nov. 28.

Certainly, the work has got to be a great conversation piece at parties.

"We’ll let you know after Christmas," said Andrew. "Due to the nature of this particular job, it had to be kept a secret until the unveiling at Rockefeller Center, but we are now excited and proud to share it with everyone."

Photos submitted, Borg Design