I seem to have acquired a taste for Parisian Hardware, always going to the flea market to get a few more remnants of old brass.

What is it about the Hardware? Incredible detail, wonderful color of the brass, and it screams craftsmanship of an era that has passed by in most trades. The most interesting one being the Cremone:

Crémone or "Crémone Bolt" is a type of decorative hardware used as a locking device to fasten a pair of swinging windows or casement window.[1] A knob or lever handle is linked by a rack and pinion gearto a pair of half-round rods or "surface bolts" which slide over the outside surface of the door or window and extend into sockets at the head and sill of the opening. The gear mechanism operates the two vertical rods at the same time; one rod extends up into the door head, and the other extends down into the door sill. It is similar in appearance to an "espagnolette" lock, but uses a half-round rod.