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Bv Parntcta SHa cxelro no T h e t e are limes wh en we a ll c r av eex lr av T I agance.swirlsan d spa rkle sand ex c es s . B u t there are time s whe n we need a quiet elegance.There are times when we crave t h e classic silho ue tte, the s im ple c ur v e, the clearlydrvine. For those times, antique blownglassserveswith distinction. The produ ctio n o f b lown glas s began i n t h e first cen tury 8 .C.,a nd c r af t s m enand a rt i sanshave b ee n crea tingglas s war et his w a y ever since. Yo u'll find it in a r ainbow o f c olors,inclu din g sh ad es of gr een, blue a n d amber Aq ua is a pre do m inant c olor a s i t is t he na tura l co lor of glas s Red and amethystaie very rare. But a lot of collect o r s f ocus on clea r gla ss,an d while m any o f t hese piec eswere utrlita rianin pur pos e, t h e irdesign shin es Blown glass is Produced bY blowing mo lt englassth rou gha tub e and m anipulat i n g it w ith a po ntil. In d ete rm iningt he age of blown glass pieces this is critical infor-

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O ppos it e, V i n f o g e w o o d e n clo fh e sp in s ore o c reo t i v e d i s p l o g i n t h i s o n tiq u e g lo ss fis hbowIf r o m C h r i s t o p h e r Fille g An tiq u e s.

L;/;,!,zft;"+ for fish,certainlymorechicandstylishthan

Lexington, I do misspoppinginto hisshop.

a tankwith tiny castle,but I can'thelpbut theirgreen envisionit spillingwith peonies,

The new spacedoes not disappoint,and piecesto Bursterthad many blown-glass

stemsvisiblethroughthe glass. GeorgeTerbovichalso carries clear

showme."l thinkthe appealof blownglass

He blownglassat his shop in Crestwood. andthis one showsthe too, hasa fishbowl, gray-to-lavender shadethat antiqueclear glasscan acquireA slightlydifferentfind was the four l8th-centuryEnglishwineglass rinsers.Thesepieces,which would holdabouta cup of liquid,havea pouron

is broadbased.Its light and sparkleare andyoudon'thaveto havea counstriking, it,"saysBurstert. try houseto appreciate Burstertand Wheataretypicaldealers;

checkout Patricia'sdaily blog on allthingsd6cor at www.mrgblandingr.blogepot.com.

eachside.Theywould be delightfuladditionsto anytable,willing,I'm sure,to hold sauceor dressingor forcedcrocusbulbs. Evereagerto roamnearand farto hunt

they collectas much as they sell and havea

and gather,I headedout to Lexington,

a novice would tell the difference between

Missouri,to visit BruceBurstertand Carl

antiqueglassand reproductions.He flicked

Wheat. Burstertused to own a shop on

the side of the glass compote on the table

SouthwestBoulevard,and while he'soverthe-moon with his permanentmove to

beforeus and a melodiousring sangthrough

passion for the hunt. I asked Burstert how

the room. "That is how you know," he says

with a smile.And he repeatedthe gesture on severalof the piecesgatheredon the table; while each had a slightlydifferent tone,eachrangas clearlyas a bell. Burstertalso pointedout the expected signs of wear.The cake plate was clearly markedby yearsof kniveswhich had struck its surface.Eachpieceshowedwearon the basewhereit had contactwith the surface that supportedit. This,of course,addsto the patinaof the piece.Or pieces.Burstert his finds like Noah on the ark, showcases two pairs of hurricaneshere,two punchbowlsthere.Nothinggetsa girl like me like the promiseof symmetry. or enhancWhetherstartinga collection ingone,antiqueblownglassmakessophisticated sport. There'sa good selectionin town. Now you just haveto decidewhat to Any cloches? hunt:cakeplates,hurricanes, wouldbe a clearfavorite.O