Hatton likely studied metalsmithing at the University of Kansas, home to the oldest metalsmithing program at a public university in the United States. The clips date to her time as a student there, where she would have learned the etching and oxidization techniques that outline the initials of her sister, Ora Hatton Schade, and brother-in-law, George Edward Schade. She also learned to set gemstones using bezels, as seen in the black opal pin. Although metals would not be the focus of Hatton's personal practice, she lobbied to establish a metals studio at CSU and taught the first course in "Metals and Jewelry" in 1945.