some say they are not stainless steel, but they do look shiney. i purchased these because i was getting tired of the plastic ones. they would get bend in the washer or turn yellow on the dryer.
i wanted something that has a nice weight and wasn't too expensive. most of my dress shirts use the 2.5" so i really have no use for the 3" long ones. i recommend these metal collar stays if you have alot of dress shirts and hate it when the collars start curling.