Los Angeles—The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted jewelry designer Sonya Ooten a patent for her signature metal crochet earrings, the popular "Cosmos" design.

Ooten's design patent application had been pending for nearly three years, and on June 12 of this year, she was granted Patent No. D544,389.

The patent gives Ooten the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale or selling the design throughout the United States or importing the design into the country for a period of 14 years.

Ooten's gold crochet Cosmos earrings retail between $535 and $4,500, and are currently available at Barneys New York department store and such independents as Mitchells of Westport, based in Connecticut; Stanley Korshak in Dallas; and Sonya Ooten Gem Bar in Los Angeles.

Today, Ooten has over a dozen copyrights and patents on her signature designs and has a utility patent pending on her signature metal crochet jewelry process.