Now lets take a look at the type of finish.
The finish of your faucet should match your vanity or sink and it should be easy to clean and withstand the punishment of prolonged contact with soaps and other chemicals.
Some faucet manufacturers like American Standard are providing a special coating that is said to wipe clean but even if you do not choose a model with this feature you should know that the plating systems on your faucet are the main defense to prolonged wear.
Chrome is both the most abundant choice and the easiest to clean. This is because the outer chrome plating is very smooth and impervious to chemical reactions.
New faucets are now made by pressing stainless steel in a mold and then they are either coated or a special process called anodizeation is used to give a subtle tone. You will notice this most in the brushed nickel described kitchen faucets.
When your faucet is made from cast materials the shape of the part comes out of the mold with imperfections. For the most part these imperfections are sanded and buffed out and then a series of metallic coatings are applied.
In the case of a Chrome Faucet the part is first plated with copper which can be buffed to a fine smoothness. Then it is plated with a layer of Nickel which gives the outer finish color and then the chrome is applied in a very thin layer that gives the reflective qualities and mirror finish.
If you purchase a Copper Plated Faucet the nickel and Chrome steps are not performed and a thicker layer of copper is applied. At that point the copper may be aged with chemicals such as nitric acid to give an antique look.
Nickel faucets only skip the outer chrome plating and are either brushed nickel which is a non reflective silverish surface or they can be highly polished.
Those are your 3 or 4 main selections when choosing a faucet by its visual appearance.
There are many other types of specialty faucets that use custom materials like Glass and Ceramic but for most people Chrome is still the standard choice.