In a similar vein, collectors Jack and Pat Holden of New Roads, Louisiana, are devotees of all things French. "We use our antique glassware every day," says Pat. She and Jack adore combing flea markets in Paris and the French countryside, are regular subscribers to important auction catalogs, and are expert Internet searchers. "We treasure our wonderful 18th- and early 19th-century material culture -- including French glassware that turned up in archaeological digs in Louisiana."

"That's not surprising," says Jody Wilkie, international head of ceram-ics and glass at Christie's New York. "When you think about it, the French settlers who came to live in Louisiana brought all their household goods. Consequently, it is probably the best place in the country to locate this type of glassware."

Unfortunately, serious collectors who demand provenance will find it virtually impossible to document exactly when different styles of glass were produced, as individual pieces were unsigned and unmarked until much later. Instead, both Smith and Dragesco suggest studying the art of the day, such as the paintings by prolific 18th-century painter Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin.

"You don't find elaborate glassware in Chardin's works," Dragesco says. Indeed, within the painter's invaluable record of everyday life in at least 140 works, collectors can learn a great deal about form and style. A case in point: In the artist's early 18th-century works, nearly all the water glasses he depicted were plain, but ribbed designs in later works reflected a growing taste for cut glass, which was produced in several glassworks in the mid-18th century.

Also pictured in Chardin's paintings are varieties of stemmed glasses, called verres à pattes, that were used for all kinds of wine, as the use of specific glasses for different wines did not become the rule until the mid-19th century. Within this category, various forms are distinguished by slender baluster or corrugated stems, and others feature a molded honeycomb pattern on the bowl that is well-known today and is part of many private collections.

Although both seasoned and new collectors love the innate usefulness of their glassware, all underscore creative alternative uses. Champagne flutes filled with blowsy flowers become a perfect tableaux, whether lined up in the middle of a dining table or clustered on a mantel. Water glasses are attractive for serving puddings and sorbets, and the small, round, miniature stemmed cups -- once used for eating fruit that was left over from making a liqueur -- create an interesting backdrop for place cards on a well-dressed dining table. Wherever it appears, antique glassware bespeaks mystery, age, and grace -- with an unmistakable French accent.