Handmade Jewelry with a Story: Meet Chickenscratch
July 14, 2026Available now as pre-order — handmade to order in the USA with a 4-week turnaround
Some jewelry is meant to accessorize an outfit. Chickenscratch jewelry is meant to start a conversation.
For over three decades, artist and metalsmith Lisa Sotham has been hand-fabricating wearable art from her studio in the United States. Each Chickenscratch piece is built from scratch — brass, nickel silver, sterling silver, copper, enamel paint, found materials, glass beads, mica powder — assembled with techniques like silver soldering, cold connection, and hand-cut metalwork that simply can't be replicated at scale. The result is jewelry that rewards a second look, and a third.
We're proud to carry the full Chickenscratch collection at Kinks & Quirks, available as made-to-order pre-orders.
Craft You Can See (and Feel)
What separates Chickenscratch from the rest of the jewelry world isn't just the materials — it's the movement. Pivoting heads. Swinging hamsters. Birds that fly home. Watering cans that pour. Lisa builds kinetic storytelling into her pieces in a way that photographs can only hint at. You have to wear them to fully understand what you're holding.
Every piece in the collection is hand-fabricated using techniques that take years to master: silver soldering, cold connection, hand-cut metalwork. There are no shortcuts, no molds cranking out identical copies. When you order a Chickenscratch piece, it's made fresh — for you, by hand, in the USA.
Standout Pieces Worth Knowing
Unicorn Brooch — 2.75 × 2.25" | Brass, silver plate, gold leaf, mica powder
This isn't a novelty pin. It's a fully realized mythical creature in wearable form — textured brass body, gold leaf hooves and horn, shimmering pink/purple mica powder mane, and a head that actually pivots. The unicorn looks where it pleases. You'll earn every "where did you get that?" while wearing it.
Hamster Wheel Earrings — 1.25 × 1" | Brass, sterling silver plate, copper, glass
Grooved sterling silver-plated wheels, each holding a tiny textured brass and copper hamster — pink nose, black feet, glass bead eye — who swings inside the wheel as you move. Relatable? Absolutely. Lightweight and conversation-guaranteed.
Shop the Hamster Wheel Earrings →
Fraidy Cat Pin/Pendant — 3 × 1.75" | White bronze, resin, enamel paint
Perpetually startled and utterly charming. Brushed white bronze, a swiveling head, hand-cast spiral resin eyes, and a swinging red tongue. A pendant loop on the tail means it works as both a brooch and a necklace pendant. Movement, humor, and craft in one piece.
Swing Set Earrings — Approx. 1.75 × 0.75" | Brass, copper, enamel
Two red enamel-painted brass birds on an antiqued brass swing, copper-coiled feet dangling, the whole thing moving as you do. Pure joy to wear — and the kind of piece that makes people smile from across the room.
Watchdog Pin Brooch — 2.5 × 2.5" | Mixed metals, copper, enamel, ball chain
A furry guardian with extraordinary textural variety: hand-cast copper powder eye, white enamel teeth, red enamel collar and doghouse roof, and a swinging leash of blackened ball chain. Craftsmanship and storytelling in one 2.5" statement piece.
Shop the Watchdog Pin Brooch →
Bluebird Mismatched Earrings — Approx. 1" tall | Brass, copper, enamel — Original 1999 design
One of Chickenscratch's most beloved narrative designs. One earring: a bluebird peeks from inside an oxidized copper birdhouse. The other: the same bird flies home carrying a hand-crafted copper worm. A whole story in miniature, silver-soldered and standing strong since 1999.
Slice of the Pie Mismatched Earrings — Brass, rhodium plate, enamel — Original 1995 design
A Chickenscratch classic from 1995. Antiqued brass pie, antiqued brass slice, rhodium-plated server — all hand fabricated, silver soldered, cold connected. The kind of design that makes people do a double-take and immediately want one.
Shop the Slice of the Pie Earrings →
Watering Can & Flower Mismatched Earrings — Approx. 1.75" tall | Nickel silver, brass, copper, enamel — Original 1997 design
A kinetic garden for your ears. A brushed nickel silver watering can pours oxidized brass bead-chain water; across from it, an articulated brass flower blooms in a copper pot. Both earrings move. Introduced in 1997 and still unlike anything else out there.
Shop the Watering Can & Flower Earrings →
Tulips Necklace — 3 × 2.5" pendant | Wood checkers, brass, cast brass bee
Red wooden checkers, oxidized brass stamens, cold-joined brass stems — and a cast antiqued brass bee hovering above. Hangs on an 18" cable choker with magnetic closure. Unexpected, beautiful, entirely original.
Kaboom Earrings — 0.5 × 1.5" | Brass, nickel silver, surgical steel posts
Fully 3-D cartoon-style explosive devices for your ears. Hand fabricated in brass with a twisted nickel silver wick and flame-shaped surgical steel posts. They swing freely for maximum drama. Lightweight, fun, and guaranteed to provoke exactly the reaction you want.
How Pre-Orders Work
All Chickenscratch jewelry at Kinks & Quirks ships as made-to-order. Each piece is handmade fresh after you place your order, with a typical turnaround of 4 weeks.
- Only 25% is collected at checkout — the deposit holds your order
- The remaining balance is charged automatically when your piece is ready to ship
- Pre-order items receive a 3% discount on the full price
This isn't a limitation — it's the nature of genuine handcraft. Your piece is built for you, by hand, in the United States.
Shop the Full Collection
Every piece in the Chickenscratch collection is available now at Kinks & Quirks. Browse brooches, earrings, necklaces, and pendants — all pre-order, all made to order, all genuinely one of a kind.