Striped metal beads

Abstract

A jewelry bead has a rigid hollow body with an exterior wall of a first metal and a covering of a second metal whose color is different from that of the first metal. The covering overlies one or more selected areas of the wall so as to define an all-metal substantially level color pattern on the bead.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A jewelry bead comprising 
 a rigid hollow body having an exterior wall of a first metal, and    an embedment in selected areas of said wall of a second metal whose color is different from that of the first metal so as to define an all-metal, substantially level color pattern on the bead.    
     
     
         2 . The bead defined in  claim 1  wherein said body is spherical.  
     
     
         3 . The bead defined in  claim 3  wherein 
 said bead has a pair of opposite poles, and  
 said surface pattern is composed of a circumferential series of alternating first and second metal stripes, each stripe having opposite ends located adjacent to said pair of poles.  
 
     
     
         4 . The bead defined in  claim 1  and further including means defining a pair of diametrically opposite holes extending through said wall at said poles.  
     
     
         5 . The bead defined in  claim 3  wherein each stripe is tapered, being narrower at said ends than in between said ends.  
     
     
         6 . The bead defined in  claim 3  wherein said surface pattern is composed of a series of alternating, circular first and second metal stripes centered on an imaginary line extending between said pair of poles.  
     
     
         7 . The bead defined in  claim 6  wherein the stripes are progressively narrower closer to the pair of poles.  
     
     
         8 . The bead defined in  claim 1  wherein said body in its entirety is of said first metal.  
     
     
         9 . The bead defined in  claim 1  wherein said body includes a base metal substrate with an outer cladding of said first metal comprising said wall.  
     
     
         10 . The bead defined in  claim 1  wherein the first metal is gold or an alloy thereof and the second metal is silver or an alloy thereof.  
     
     
         11 . The bead defined in  claim 1  wherein the first and second metal areas have a shiny finish.  
     
     
         12 . The bead defined in  claim 1  wherein said second metal areas have a matte finish.