LAS VEGAS – Lucky Dragon Hotel & Casino installed the centerpiece of its casino property in Las Vegas. A one and a quarter-ton glass dragon sculpture, surrounded by glass orbs, is suspended above the casino’s center bar, designed to bring luck and good fortune to the casino’s guests below.

Designed and constructed by Preciosa Lighting in the world famous Crystal Valley region of the Czech Republic, the chandelier was formed at the hands of Bohemian Crystal Alchemists who have been preserving the tradition and perfecting the craft of glass sculpture since 1724. The process, which began in May of 2015, was helped along by the hands of nearly 800 craftsmen.

“To make the dragon, the majority of our employees were needed, as individual parts go through production – from the glass-making furnace, through the metal workshop, other production processes and up to shipping,” said Michel Dvorak of Preciosa Lighting. “Safely, we can say that more than 1,500 individual hands have touched each part of this sculpture during the process. It is really quite an astonishing piece, and we are very proud.”

Preciosa worked with Lucky Dragon’s specifications to adhere to the principals of feng shui that bring good fortune to the property’s visitors, from the number of individual glass pieces and dimensions of the sculpture, to the glass-blown orbs and the direction the dragon faces.

“Lucky Dragon in and of itself is something completely unique, not only in Las Vegas but in the world,” said Lucky Dragon Chief Operating Officer Dave Jacoby. “This one of a kind centerpiece of the resort will welcome guests from around the world to our gaming floor and provide good fortune and warm hospitality to all of Lucky Dragon’s guests.”

By the numbers:

12:       The approximate number of 40-hour work weeks put in by the nearly 800 employees of Preciosa Lighting during the completion of the dragon.

13:       The approximate number of days it took to install the sculpture at Lucky Dragon.

288:     The number of hand-blown glass orbs that surround the dragon and make up the entire chandelier.

178:     The number of inches from the dragon’s nose to its tail. That’s nearly 15 feet. The overall height of the sculpture will be 23 feet.

762:     The number of individual customized glass scales that comprise the body of the dragon.

7,000:  The approximate number of miles the dragon traveled from Crystal Valley in the Czech Republic to its new home at Lucky Dragon Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The grand opening of Lucky Dragon Hotel & Casino is set for Saturday, Dec. 3. The resort is now accepting reservations solely through its website. Details, contact information, and job listing can be found in the World Casino Directory Casino Profile for Lucky Dragon Hotel & Casino.