Vie-long horsehair

[WW243]

I saw a Vie-long horsehair brush today, picked it up, felt the bristles, the weight....really liked the brush. I was wondering about the ferrule though. Does anyone have some longevity comments on this metal? Is it chromed steel?
I don't like rust anywhere in the (cough) shave den. I'm hoping this brush has passed the acid test of time.
Looks like this:

Thanks