The circles in the middle are very shiny, and there are flecks of gold in the cork straps, but overall they look basically neutral, with a little bling. One of the two screws holding it together was put in at an angle rather than straight into its receiving threaded piece. Buy these, they are worth every penny! " I can categorically state that it isnt. I could feel slight warmth. Very convenient and great quality! Scrolling through music is my main gripe, but it is a minor one, a long press of one button or another to go back and forth respectively accomplishes this but to move through several albums worth of music is a bit laborious and press intensive. I was expecting these to last MAYBE 18 months before I had to search for something else. But did I get a random bad one or is there a 5000piece production run that went bad. I dont have it super cinched in pic as Im dealing with pain issues but the adjustable support is great.