IMHO, the 1911 is one of the prettiest, but I have a few very strict/picky ideas about them. It might sound OCD or weird, but hey: you asked what I think is pretty, and I think that if and only if all of the following criteria are met, then a full-size 1911 is absolutely the best looking handgun ever designed.
No external extractor. Mechanically I don't have a problem with them, aesthetically I think they're hideous.
No magwell, and no bumper pads on the bottom of the mag. I think adding length to the grip throws off the length-to-height ratio, and makes it look clumsy, and I want mags that are flush with the bottom of my gun.
No duo-tone. A gun should be all one color! Except for grips and sights of course. The only thing that stopped me from buying a used Ruger they had for cheap when I was hunting for one was the black small parts-on-stainless frame/slide (well, that and I decided not to buy a gun yet at the time). A pretty, safe-queen 1911 should be in all-stainless, everywhere. Maybe a hard chrome job, something matte, or maybe a good grey or black cerakote job, but NO TWO-TONE!
No ambi-safety. I'm right handed, and I think an extra thumb safety on the other side of the gun just doesn't look right.
No bobbed grips. They're GREAT for concealed carry, but we're talking about aesthetics here.
NO ROLLMARKS. Good luck finding one without getting it custom made, but I don't want ANYthing on my gun that denotes where or by whom it was manufactured. I understand the need for serial numbers but if I had my way there would be no lettering or etching of any kind on my gun.
As picky as all that sounds, I don't really care about the guide rod setup. If I was getting a gun custom built, I'd go with full-length, but I also think an end-cap looks pretty cool.
And that's my rant on what I personally think the most beautiful handgun in the world is.
