Engraving on hunting knives, rifles is his passion
Special engravings can cost Dh500,000 and upwards for those who can afford it
For Dh500,000, you can have your own special and personalised engraving on your hunting rifle or knife, or if you’re feeling adventurous, then on both.
Costly as it may seem, the clientele for such purchases does exist, which is why the stand — belonging to Trompeter and Ritchi — is exhibiting at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Adihex), offering its extravagant services for those who can afford it.
“For the past 25 years, I have been engraving on hunter knives, luxury rifles, and handmade guns,” said Richard Maier, who owns the company.
According to Maier, the process can take up to 10 hours, with the engravings based on animals chosen by the hunter. “It is important to do all the engraving by hand, so that it is all unique and very special,” he said.
An engraving can take me up to three weeks to complete, on some days I can work for 10 hours non-stop, and then there are other days where I work for 15 hours. It requires a lot of hard work and a lot of concentration because you cannot do one mistake when making added.
“In terms of the animal engravings that are picked by our clients in the UAE, I have found that the falcon engraving is one of the most popular. Other engravings that are often requested are horses, gazelles and also, sometimes, leopards,” he said.
In terms of prices, Maier acknowledged that the engravings don’t come cheap, making it a very niche market. “We are talking about hundreds of thousands of dirhams to have these engravings. The prices can often vary depending on the type of work that is done, but they are certainly expensive,” he said. the engraving,” he