Engravings: Beretta's art perfected and handed down for 500 years

A step by step realisation

1,000 or more hours for the creation of a single piece

this gesture is a tribute to history to the Beretta heritage and legacy

From the most classic English scroll to the most modern floral motifs, from the most evocative hunting scenes to portraits or landscapes, from mirror polishing to the most contemporary surface treatments, the metal layout of a PB Selection gun can be embellished with any subject through the four basic techniques of engraving.

classic hammer and chisel, burin for shadows and shading (applying up to 12 lines per millimetre), gold and other precious metal inlays, and enamels of various colours. Beretta’s engravers devote up to 1,000 hours or more to crafting individual pieces.

Imagination is the only limit to engravings

In a perfect harmony between tradition and artistry, there is one element that guarantees the essence of a PB Selection gun’s uniqueness: engraving.

FIND OUT WHERE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

Customer taste guides engraving

Action, levers and forend irons are entrusted to one of the twelve engravers led by Master Luca Casari. In this area, the only limit is the imagination. Depending on the tastes of the future owner, the engraving can be scroll, floral, game scene or abstract, and can require 1,000+ hours of manual work.

Engraving Techniques

01. Hammer and Chisel

Shaped by hand, struck with purpose

One of the oldest and most authentic engraving techniques, hammer-and-chisel work is a craft defined by patience, experience, and artistic sensitivity. Using a finely shaped steel chisel, the engraver works the metal one strike at a time, leaving a deep mark in the material.

Traditionally employed for floral motifs and fine English scrollwork, this technique allows the engraver to adjust the depth and expression of the design, shaping each detail to the client's vision and preferences.

The result is a living surface, rich in relief and subtle nuances, where every mark reflects the silent dialogue between the craftsman's hand and the metal itself.

02. Burin

Where precision becomes art

More than any other technique, burin engraving embodies the engraver's mastery and precision. It is an exceptionally refined process used to create the finest details, intricate plays of light, shadow, and tonal variation.

Working under magnification, the engraver uses a burin to cut up to twelve lines per millimeter. Darker areas are created through a dense network of closely spaced cuts, which are then cross-hatched to achieve increasingly subtle gradations and depth.

Line by line, the metal surface comes to life. Game scenes, wildlife, and landscapes emerge from the steel as if drawn by light itself, transforming every engraving into a unique and unrepeatable work of art.

03. Gold Inlay

Precious light, set by hand

Among the most prestigious techniques in the engraving tradition, precious metal inlay involves the meticulous hand-setting of noble metals - silver, copper, and various shades of gold - into an engraved surface.

The engraver first cuts V-shaped channels, creating a characteristic dovetail profile that securely receives and holds the precious metal wire. The metal is then carefully hammered into place until it becomes perfectly integrated with the surrounding surface.

Depending on the desired result, the inlaid metal may be finished flush with the surface or further refined through additional engraving techniques to create the final design.

The outcome is a sophisticated interplay of materials and colors, where details, inscriptions, and ornamental motifs are illuminated by precious reflections, lending the work depth, elegance, and timeless value.

04. Enamel

Colour that defines character

Enameling introduces color into the art of engraving, enriching the decoration with new expressive possibilities.

After carefully preparing the areas intended to receive the enamel and completing the necessary thermal treatment of the metal, the craftsman applies color in successive stages and at varying layers, creating effects of transparency, contrast, and dimensionality.

Each shade contributes to the character of the composition, enhancing its details and amplifying its narrative power. The result is a vibrant and distinctive decoration in which engraving and color merge in perfect harmony.

Pietro Beretta Engraving

Imagination is the only limit to engravings

Customer taste guides engraving

Engraving Techniques

Live the Pietro Beretta Experience