Help- can I use this for my business venture?????

What is the name of your state? New York

Hello- I am a nurse and I am beginning a home business of making "supportive" jewelry. By this I mean, using a pink ribbon (breast cancer awareness) as one of the items on a bracelet fur survivors of cancer...............since this pink ribbon is universally used as the sign for breast cancer awareness do I have to get someone's permission to use it in the creation of my jewelry? What if I buy some charm links that have little pink hearts on them to use as well- are these things somehow protected so that if I use them I can not call the jewelry I created mine? Is there any sort of protection I can get legally to protect my ideas about such "alternative" types of Jewelry? Can anyone suggest where I might learn more about this type of thing- meaning using general ideas (like charms already made with little hearts on them) for a product without doing something that might impinge on copyrights or patents? can I patent or copywrite my idea to create such type of jewelry-I will them mass produce them to sell..........HELP!!!!!!!!!!!any suggestions appreciated.

The internationally recognized symbol of the pink ribbon is very likely protected by trademark and your commercial use would require the owners permission.

From another site:
"The pink ribbon is the symbol for breast cancer awareness invented in 1991 by Evelyn H. Lauder, found & president of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Alexandra Penney, then-editor of Self Magazine. Lauder says, "The ribbon stands for awareness. And it stands for the sisterhood that will help women survive - and conquer- this disease."

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JETX- since you added the comment from another source, what is your take on if I can use the ribbon without getting someones permission? If you feel I should seek permission, how or where might I begin to find out whose permission I should seek? I am not looking for anyone to do this for me, I just need a starting point.............any ideas?

Not really. I just know that as a recognized symbol (and moreso for a charity), it would be unlikely in my opinion for it not to be protected by copyright and/or trademark.

In searching the trademark records, I found LOTS of registered trademarks for the pink ribbon. The search can be found at:
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=toc&state=qhvoso.1.1&p_search=searchss&p_L=50&BackReference=&p_plural=yes&p_s_PARA1=&p_tagrepl~:=PARA1$LD&expr=PARA1+AND+PARA2&p_s_PARA2=pink+ribbon&p_tagrepl~:=PARA2$COMB&p_op_ALL=AND&a_default=search&a_search=Submit+Query&a_search=Submit+Query