Vintage black French Ambassador bead with sterling silver on wire choker. The Ambassador bead was one of the most highly sought after African Trade Beads, even though its name appears to have no basis in history. Like many African Trade Beads (eg the skunk bead, the Lewis and Clark bead) the name has just stuck for decades. The original versions of these Ambassador beads are extremely rare (we have one only in our collection) but these vintage versions are a faithful second generation.