Workers are installing 288 new sparkling Waterford crystal triangles.
They are being added to more than 2,100 other crystal triangles to create what's being described as a "Gift of Imagination" design.
The ball is being worked on atop One Times Square at 42nd Street and Broadway.
The custom-designed crystals created by Waterford artisans are built to withstand high winds, precipitation and temperature fluctuations.
The ball, a New Year's Eve icon, must be sturdy because it will rest 470 feet (143 meters) above Times Square.