Interesting, I'm looking at finishes for the lips on my Beyerns.
They are coated and stones chip the surface which then results in the lacquer lifting and strange patterns appearing like in your before shots (especially at the rear where there is plenty of dish to collect the stones).
With a polished surface any superficial chips and scratches can be dealt with easily. I guess you can also control the amount of shine you want by how much you polish, I personally and tired of the full mirror look of mine now after 4 years and would prefer to try a less shiny look but still be more 'polished' looking than the spokes.
Question is how much polishing are we looking at every month? What sort or machine do you use?
This is what they were like new, not so shiny now...
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Ps: Please move to a new thread if we going too far OT here!