I would say it depends on how close the render is to see the detail. If not up close and personal with the camera shot then I would say just a bump map would work. But if getting close with the camera you can always model the object as a whole but follow the topology of that line/ridge when doing so. Then later you can select that whole line/ridge and split from the rest of the mesh and extrude them inward on both sections to create an edge with either a hard edge crease or support loops for subdivision.
Quick example of the separating and extruding inward with support loops and the detail if up close.