I love love love the border on this cake!  Do you think it's handmade or a mold?  The cake was originally found on a Canadian wedding cake magazine site (I think).

My vote:  a mold.  The symmetry is so exact, I'd be inclined to think its a mold, but a steady hand and the right shapes in a tray would produce the same finish.  Either way, it's divine!

The border beads and dots have exact placement so I think those are a mold.  Done by hand there is always a slight variation somewhere.  would love to find the mold.

This photo popped up in another thread a while back. I think (and thought at the time) that the individual ovals and teardrops were piped on a flat surface with RI, left to harden, lustred, and then stuck to the cake. The round balls are pearl dragees stuck on around the ovals. 

Looks like a mold since the symmetry looks so precised. Tried to look for similar mold and saw that Caljava Online has some molds for sale. Fondant Mold 224 has kind of the same look with the teardrop pattern and it's on sale. Hope this helps : )