What options do I have to make metal engravings and etchings in blender? I'm want to create the hidden blade from assassin's creed brotherhood (video game)

I created the model and stuck on how to create engravings on the hand guard of hidden blade

Here are some reference pictures



The engravings on the blade doesn't has that much of a bump to them, so I'm going to add them in textures

But ones on the hand guard does 

So my question what options do I have to make them?

I want it to be details just like in the first picture

So I don't think a texture with a bump map will do 

PS: Still a noob in blender so... sorry if this question is stupid
sculpting and baking the normal is the best way of doing these... another not so very recommended process is to take out its UV layout into image editing software and create a greyscale map of the design you need over it and then use it as a bump map on the mesh...