Here's my take on show leads and collars.
#1 - NO snap. The leash should be securely attached to the collar. Snaps break, but more importantly snaps easily come loose if you're fumbling around with the collar, which you will do a lot in the conformation ring. I can't tell you how many dog fights and/or escapes I've seen because of a slipped snap.
#2 - I use a jeweler's link chain collar. Those snake chains look nice, but break easily and pull out hair. They are available at shows - they are just tiny little chains. If you don't want to use a metal chain, just go the standard nylon show collar route.
#3 - Leads... if you're going to want leather, either get a very thin leather lead (1/8" or so) or go braided kangaroo. Not all braided kangaroo leads are created equal! Braidaroo made two of my leads, Steve Guitron made the third. Steve's work is insanely expensive, but Braidaroo has good prices.
If you don't want to waste the money on kangaroo, try finding a Resco show lead (maybe 5/16" wide) and breaking the snap off - then looping it onto the collar. The resco leads have a bit of wax worked into them, so they ball up nicely in your hand and don't cut your skin.
*deep breath*
And just a bit of a soapbox speech... keep in mind I've had very old, traditional mentors that have been showing/finishing/specialing one of the most cutthroat and competitive AKC breeds for decades, so take what I say next with a grain of salt.
This fad of "glitzing up" show leads annoys me.
Show equipment needs to not overshadow the dog - you want the judge looking at the dog, not the collar and leash! So it should always be a color that blends in nicely. I think the bright, glitzy, heavily beaded leads overshadow the dog and are a bit, erm... I don't know. Showboaty. Like the dog needs beads and fancy colors to be noticed. One of my leashes does have subtle beadwork, but honestly I'm too embarrassed to use it except on silly puppies in non-licensed UKC classes. I try very hard to be respectful to the judges, which to me also means not presenting my dogs on leashes that fight for the judges' attention.
In AKC, the judge sees very little of your dog. I believe the suggested time limit is 2 minutes, and usually you don't even get that. Don't waste precious seconds on the judge glancing at your flashy lead. And in UKC, most judges I've shown to do not like "showboating" in any form... so again, out come the plain leather show leads.
Lastly, this is how I loop my chain and lead together so it looks nicer. It also keeps your show leads in better condition. The chain in the photo is the jeweler's link chain that I use on red dogs. Black dogs have the same thing, but with a black coating.