From our July/August 2025 Issue
Fine-gun aficionados were recently saddened to learn of the loss of one of our community’s most respected artisans. Famed engraver Geoffroy Gournet passed away on March 15 at the age of 65. The outpouring of respect and sadness was felt on several continents, with sentiments coming from friends, clients, colleagues and admirers.
The Pennsylvania-based artisan was born in Rethel, France, and spent his early years in the French Ardennes before moving to Reims. It was there that he met Virginie, his wife of 39 years. Together they had two children: a son, Quentin, and a daughter, Flore.
Gournet trained in Liège, Belgium, where he attended the Belgian School of Gunsmithing and was awarded The First Prize of basculage for his gunsmithing work. While in Liège he worked with Ernest Dumoulin and earned first prize at Liège's School of Engraving. He then moved to Gardone, Val Trompia, Italy, and worked with masters such as Cesare Giovanelli and Gianfranco Pedersoli. In 1985 he emigrated to the US, where he later met Tom Skeuse Sr. and became the sole and full-time engraver for Parker Reproduction. From 1987 to 2002 he worked exclusively on A-1 Specials, creating exquisite one-of-a-kind pieces. Since 2002, he had dedicated himself entirely to private customers—engraving shotguns, knives, jewelry and other collectibles. For more than two decades he lived and worked in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the state's Lehigh Valley.
Through the years Gournet became a nearly ubiquitous presence at various gun shows and shooting events, often engraving items in real time as admirers watched. He would introduce his meticulous commitment to his craft to both new and experienced admirers. His infectious smile and Continental sophistication will be greatly missed.
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