This bead was identified as belonging to the collection of William Ridgeway (1858-1926).

The tag attached to the bead reads:
"Coral" bead
French Congo

The bead looks similar to imitation coral cylinders (recently seen online) that are metal tubes painted with coral colored paint. I don't have any other information on when this type of bead was first produced, but my guess is the usual "hey-day" of trade beads made for Africa - late 1800s to early 1900s.