Metallic clad glass capillary (10) suitable for use in gas chromatography applications. A metallic coating or jacket (12) is formed on the glass capillary (11) by coating the glass capillary with a metal or alloy as the capillary is drawn from the furnace. The metal or alloy employed is one that is substantially chemically inert with respect to the material comprising the glass capillary at the deposition temperature during coating of the metal or alloy onto the glass capillary and forms a hermetic seal around the outer surface of the glass cladding. The metallic coating prevents chemical or mechanical damage to the glass surface to thereby maintain or preserve the nascent strength of the glass capillary. A plastic coating (13) is optionally provided for additional protection of the metal surface.