Rope chain constructed of an assembly of link elements and a manufacturing process to make such link elements, each link element exhibiting a unique visual property, such as coloration, surface texture, reflectivity, design feature or characteristic, shape, or other visually attractive appearance. Methods of construction include surface pre-texturing, stamping, simultaneous surface texturing and stamping, and strip bending. Such unique visual property traits for the succession of link elements results in a more attractive, fanciful, more delicate and interesting fashion item. Each of the interconnected link elements along the rope chain may have the same or different visual properties, and may have multiple portions of varying color, texture, shape, or other visual properties. In another aspect of the invention, each link element may have exterior edges, or edge portions, exhibiting a flat, smooth, highly light reflective surface.