With the growing number of metal items in just about every ebay accessory category lately, this might be a good time to point out the differences between hand crafted and commercially made accessories. Most of the common products we see are made the same way, and the result is an inexpensive, attractive item that can do a respectable job of holding up your hair. Other than design issues such as giving thought to added adornments that will likely snag,  let's take a closer look at what we have here.

To produce an item that can sell for under $3.00, commercial manufacturers start with low cost materials and simply mass reproduce a given design. Some form of base metal is typically used, because it's inexpensive and easy to form. However, these metals are inadequate on thier own, since their makeup would cause them to rust if left exposed to the open air. The solution is to electroplate with chromium, which inhibits corrosion and also tends to cover up any sharp edges left during the forming process. The drawback to this method is that the two are dissimilar materials - they react differently to stress such as flex during normal use. The base metal flexes, but the brittle chrome plating does not, so it forms microscopic cracks at stress points, allowing moisture and air to reach the base metal underneath. At this point, a layer of oxidation forms, separating the chrome from the base metal. As the chrome lifts away, it forms razor like edges. Eventually, the chrome layer can flake off, leaving visible open areas you can see, but by that time the damage has already been done.

Here's how to avoid reaching the point of invisible hair damage and still get plenty of use from inexpensive products. First, bear in mind that resellers are not always aware of the materials and processes used to make their products, so it's up to the consumer to be aware. Look for terms like silvertone, goldtone and so on in the item description that indicate a plated finish. Then ask the seller about the product before you buy.
Once you have the item and you like the way it works, you can test it periodically by wrapping a piece of silk or satin fabric around the item and pass it back and forth several times. Inspect with a magnifying glass - if there's a distinct track of sheared fibers, the plating has started to crack. If not, you're good to go awhile longer. Just remember that plating has the same effect on hair strands, so it's wise to test often.

The obvious alternative to all this is to consider using products that do not involve plating. Pure, high quality metals and alloys are the same all the way through, and rarely develop a problem unless exposed to some kind of serious abuse. Even so, any accessory can fall out unexpectedly and land on a rough concrete surface, causing scratches or even a deep gouge that would in turn cause hair damage. If this should ever happen,  your seller can easily restore the surface to like new condition - but damage to plated items cannot be repaired.

 Hand made products are generally stronger, lighter and can flex without causing damage. They're normally highly polished where they need to be, and individually inspected during each step of their fabrication. No self respecting maker would intentionally send you an item that wasn't as good as it can be.

Now let's look at different types of high quality metals, and point out some of the different characteristics of each.

Brass, Bronze, Copper, Silver.
Bronze

This group includes the non ferrous metals that do not contain iron, with bronze being the strongest and most resilient. All will oxidize if left alone, so two methods are commonly used to prevent tarnish when it's not desired. First, a sealer is commonly used as a barrier to the forces that cause oxidation. This is typically some form of lacquer, and can be applied in several coats to form a tough skin. This is not the preferred method for products that are designed to flex, because like chrome plating, lacquer does not expand at the same rate as the metal underneath so it can crack and flake off, causing a rough, sharp edged surface. Used on hair accessories, lacquer can also be adversely affected by the chemistry in common hair care products - most notably the alcohols used in hair sprays. The other method and the one I prefer is to simply clean the metal occasionally with any silver or brass polish that contains ultrafine abrasives, or uses chemical action such as products like tarn-x. This allows you to maintain any desired shade, and also removes light scratches that may occur during handling and storage.


Aluminum.
StarLites

Known as the earth's most abundant metal, this material is not so inexpensive because of it's difficulty in extracting raw ore and processing it into a useable form. Certain alloys or blends with other elements create superalloys, such as those used in the aircraft and aerospace industries. These versions offer incredibly light weight and strength  characteristics, and in my opinion make the best accessories for general all around use.

Stainless Steel.
FlexStix

When more strength is needed, this is the next step up. Again, the alloy or mix of elements makes the difference here. Some examples to illustrate: low quality, such as the burner on your gas grill; better quality, such as food grade versions used to make cookware; best quality, such as the heat exchanger in your furnace, and premium medical grade used to make surgical instruments, prosthetic implant devices and body jewelry. This is the one we want, because it offers greater strength and a corrosion proof surface.


Titanium.
Titanium

Here we have the strongest metal on earth - at least one that can be formed into a hair accessory. As you might expect, titanium has several alloy versions for different purposes. Curiously, pure titanium is not a good choice for our purposes, as it's so soft that a thin rod can be tied in a knot! The alloy we want is the same used to make the heat shields on the space shuttle. It doesn't get any stronger than this, but the downside is that NASA gets first shot at the good stuff, and the distribution of what's left is somewhat restricted because, well.......it's NASA. That of course drives the resulting cost of raw material to somewhere beyond realistic, which is why we don't see many titanium hair products available for general use.

Well, my job is done in terms of sharing what I know. Now I'll head for the shop, do the best I can and hope that everyone has a clearer view of the role metals should play in the world of hair accessories.