Hardware · Hermès
Pearling
Also called Perlage
Hermès's technique for finishing hardware nails.
Christie's describes pearling: the tips of the nails securing hardware such as pontets and the Kelly lock are cut and hammered, then shaped with a conical sander and hand-polished into a small polished dome, like a tiny pearl, fixing the hardware as if welded. It adds that a Kelly has at least 25 visible and 20 hidden pieces of hardware.