I Haven't used stainless hardware before but I just looked into it for you. I can get the buckle and d ring in stainless but it will cost a little more than the nickle plated which is what is used in most. The black and red one that says Lou was actually for my yellow lab.
I recommend either 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 for that size dog. For light brown you have two options. I can dye it but you not see much contrast on the stamping (like the red) or I can use a antique like the dark brown(can also do a tan color, look at the simon collar) that will make all the impressions darker, but the downfall is it wears off the edges of the collars more. I'll provide a picture of a very used one from a Great Dane. All stamping of names is free along with the lines on the top and bottom if they are wanted
