BRISTOL, Pa.–For the seventh consecutive inauguration, Lenox Corporation created the official inaugural gifts from the American people, given to the president and vice president of the United States.
On Monday, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. were presented with custom-made, one-of-a-kind engraved crystal vases at the inaugural luncheon following the swearing in ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol. These gifts were offered to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies by Lenox, and the design was approved by the committee.
Lenox has designed and created the inaugural gift for the incoming president since George H. W. Bush in 1989. For each inauguration, the Lenox team of experts work for months to create a gift that encapsulates the spirit of the American people and the new presidency, the company said. After working on this project for more than five months with master glass cutter Peter O’Rourke, Timothy Carder, Lenox vice president of design, presented the pieces to Senator Charles E. Schumer, Chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, at a ceremony held earlier on Capitol Hill.
“When I met with the JCCIC in late summer, we all shared the opinion that this gift needed to be different than those from previous administrations and that the height and monumental presence be a necessary ingredient. The inspiration for my design of the vase came from the height and beauty of the Washington Monument. The combination of the height of the vase set on the pedestal base produced an exquisite display of glistening crystal,” Carder said.