When considering laser cut vs hand cut, keep in mind that most of the shops that made this furniture originally farmed out quite a lot of the detail work. It was an age of specialization. Inlays, carvings, marquetry and even turnings were typically jobbed out to subcontractors.
In that light, buying inlays and such (provided that they reflect the quality level of the rest of the piece) is not, in my opinion, "cheating".
Personally, I prefer to do it all myself, I often take on specific projects just to have an excuse to attain new skills. But heck, almost no one I know, including myself, makes their own hardware!
Just my 2 cents,
Ralph