A curb chain that has been swaged, or hammered, while standing on its side. The hammering brings out the S-shaped pattern already present in the curb links and flattens the chain.
Is a serpentine the same as a snake chain?
No. They look alike at a glance but they are built differently: serpentine starts from a curb chain and is hammered, while a snake chain is assembled from stamped plates. Herringbone is the closer relative, since it is also a swaged chain.
