Occupational prestige is a way for sociologists to describe the relative social class positions people have. It refers to the consensual nature of rating a job based on the belief of its worthiness. The term prestige itself refers to the admiration and respect that a particular occupation holds in a society.
It's a metaphor that means that the sun rays/beams were going through the clouds
The first sentence seems more descriptive in saying that it was the ones who made beads while the second sentence uses the commas to show that it is a definition, not a specification
