Retailing: Confronting the Challenges that Face Bricks-and-Mortar Stores

Flexible series of linked jewelry beads include a plurality of large hollow bead members which are joined together by smaller shaped spacer links. The bead members have diametrally opposed holes which have a diameter of about 30 to 50 percent of the maximum diameter of the bead members. The spacer links include a central decorative spacer portion and a pair of enlarged head portions on opposite sides of the spacer portion which engage, through the holes, the inside surface of the bead members. The head portions are each joined to the spacer portion by a neck portion having a diameter of about 40 to 60 percent of the diameter of the spacer portion, thus making the spacer portion distinct. The beads are automatically manufactured, spaced and connected by forming a continuous series of joined spacer links from a tubular element, thereafter forming the large bead members around the spacer links, and then separating the spacer links and the large beads into a uniform series of large beads and smaller distinct spacer shapes.