Simulating Chain with Materials

I have a pick-your-brain question. I am creating a mechanical object, that has a small chain keeping two parts together. The chain will never be large enough, to warrant creating an actual chain. So, is there a way to “fake” a chain, using materials on a simple, elongated plane, cube, or cylinder? I really don’t want to waste a lot of polygons on an object that will never be more than a small detail. Any other ideas. Thanx.

P.S. I forgot to mention, I am using “Cycles”