This tiny, sterling silver spoon was made in the 1940s in America. It was fashioned to look just like one of the fashionable patterns of this time period. It also was intentionally made to be worn with a pin back, very much like a brooch of this same period. The clasp allows the wearer to easily and securely affix the pin to a lapel, scarf or blouse.

This little sterling spoon makes a charming brooch with a story to tell. Without the pin back, it would be called a salt spoon, which was used to sprinkle salt from an individual cellar at each place setting. The bowl of the spoon is about the size of a dime.

It was crafted by clever jewelers who used the brooch as a marketing tool. Many girls, seniors in high school, were not preparing for life beyond that of homemaker. Table settings, plates, glassware, and silver were all part of the well-appointed table in the 1940s, so jewelers would have an advertised event for high school senior girls to come in and pick their patterns. It was assumed by polite society that these girls would soon marry and turn their attention to the home. They were given a silver spoon brooch in their chosen pattern. Wearing the brooch advertised their pattern and assured any onlooker of their taste and style. Even then, 80 years ago , owning silver was a genteel way of showing your sophistication.

These spoons turn up from time to time and are always admired for their detailed miniature scale. What has now become an interesting brooch actually was a “coming of age”’ link to a material culture unique to America in the 1940s.

This spoon brooch was given to me by my kind friend Tony. He told me he had inherited it from his father, who no doubt had it from a female member of the family—perhaps a sister or mother. This small, seemingly insignificant, spoon is from a Lexington County family. I will treasure it as it is a link to a local family and proof that families in a largely rural area held close the same hopes, dreams and ideals of those living in larger towns and cities.

This spoon along with other silver will be on display on the 2nd floor of the Lexington Town Hall on Maiden Lane. For several years, I have had a display case of storied silver displayed for public view. This ever- changing display features pieces that are meant to educate and tell the stories of the families of South Carolina, those in Lexington County in particular. Please stop by to see for yourself.