Fritz Hamer, chief curator of cultural history at the SC State Museum, and Dawn Evers–Corley, the Charleston Silver Lady “Owning a piece of antique silver is like owning a moment in time,” according to the Charleston Silver Lady.

“There’s not a tremendous amount of money in Charleston,” says Dawn Evers–Corley, who grew up there. “But there’s a tremendous amount of things. People cherish their old family pieces, whether it’s a wooden bread paddle or a solid silver fish fork.”

The expertise of the Charleston Silver Lady and Fritz Hamer, chief curator of cultural history at the SC State Museum, have assembled a handsome collection of antique silver pieces for the exhibit that opened May 15, and will remain open through January, 2011.

Silver was the medium of choice for accomplished artisans in 18th–and 19th–century South Carolina, until the devastation of the Civil War ruined family fortunes in the South. Such names as John Ewan of Charleston and the East Carolina Silver Company of Hartsville earned national and international repute for fine handiwork. Other fine silver pieces created in Europe were owned by leading South Carolinians and many remain in the families of their descendants. This display includes many items that have never been shown publicly before.

Dawn Evers–Corley and her husband Chuck Corley are well known in this area for their devotion to historic preservation. They have lent handsome silver pieces from their private collection to be displayed. A sauce bowl standing on three hoofed feet, created by noted English craftswoman Hester Bateman, has been in the Alston family since 1790. Flatware made by Columbia and Camden workmen William Glaze and Alex Young is on display.

A silver service was created especially for the Georgia General and later Sen. John B. Gordon in appreciation for his assistance in helping South Carolina through Reconstruction.

Besides the expected array of serving pieces and flatware, the silver show includes a few novelty items. John Ewan of Charleston created a silver ear trumpet in 1860. And a wedding cake “saw” is featured, being a cake server with a serrated edge designed to cope with the dense fruit cake which was the fashionable centerpiece at wedding receptions. There’s literally a Coconut Cup, Circa 1800. A coconut is embellished with coin silver trim. (The expression “coin silver” refers to silver pieces dated prior to 1835, when coins were melted down to use in silver work. After that date, sterling became the benchmark and was used by silversmiths from then on.)

The Museum’s exhibit includes a schedule of classes to be taught by Evers –Corley during the summer and fall. Listeners will learn to read the quality of a piece, to determine age and value, and to understand the important role silver played in Colonial America. For details, call 803-898-4952, or email groupvisits@scmuseum. org.