Engraving in Italy, by top names, costs about 50 Euros an hour. A fully covered sidelock with game scenes, with cesello (heavy engraving, the most time consuming) will take about 800 hours. English style, Inglesina as the Italians call it, goes faster.
Italian engravers go through fine arts schooling before taking up engraving, they re definitely more able than old time craftsmen engravers and it is no accident that Brescia has become a world engraving center.
I like the end result, even though sideclips are not my thing. The cost is typical for UK work and that is what the client wanted. It is likely that work done elsewhere would cost less, but would lack the prestige.