A crystal-clear issue: The White House is in desperate need of new glassware

(CNN)It was during the George W. Bush administration that it was first noticed in earnest, and the massive state dinners of the Barack Obama era only solidified the situation: The White House was desperately in need of crystal.

Not crystal balls, not crystal chandeliers -- just crystal, the kind one drinks from.

The need next fell to then-first lady Melania Trump, as first ladies are the ones ultimately tasked with assessing and acquiring needed items for preservation or continuity of tradition at the White House. However, three people with knowledge of the glassware discussions confirm that, though Trump was aware of the situation, she declined to carry out the suggested request. CNN reached out to Trump for comment and did not receive a response.

The last crystal that was acquired for the White House for a full state service was during the Nixon era, said Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, the nonprofit organization established in 1961 by then-first lady Jacqueline Kennedy to preserve the People's House. The Reagans did have new stemware made as a gift to the White House in the form of 130 pieces of Steuben glassware, but it was deemed only for private entertaining in the residence.