We’ve already covered the major physical attributes that help determine when a rug was made. If you missed that blog post, you can read it here. Another way to tell the age of a rug is by checking for a date and/or signature in the pile. Dates are only found some of the time, but […]
By now, we’ve gone over most of the events that shaped the rug renaissance. If you’ve missed any of the blog posts about it, or just want to refresh your memory, you can read more here. However, there was one more major contributing factor: technology. Overall, the Oriental rug industry is pretty low-tech, but even […]
It’s nearly impossible to tell exactly when an undated rug was made, but getting it exactly right is really not important. A few years doesn’t make much difference to a rug’s value or collectability. Generally, dating a rug within a quarter of a century will suffice. There is, however, one acceptation. If a rug is […]
Every so often, we write a rug term dictionary post for those wanting to improve their handmade rug vernacular. Whether you are an expert on decorative rugs or reading about the field for the first time, you will find these terms to be very interesting! Aba (Arabic): a striped fabric or a sleeveless, loose outer […]
While many people know about the larger rug making countries like China, India, or Pakistan, there are also many minor rug making countries that produce beautiful rugs. Egypt Egypt is arguably the most important of the minor rug making countries. They are generally known as Mamluk carpets and usually utilize geometric patterns; however, they are […]
While the migration of Tibetan refugees to Nepal definitely helped kick start the rug renaissance, there are two other international political events that also played a big role: the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, as well as the civil war that followed, forced […]
Originally, Oriental rug designs were dictated by family tradition. Today, Oriental rugs are made in factories with the intent to mass produce rugs for exportation. However, one aspect of the process still remains the same and it’s what distinguishes Oriental rugs from most other rugs: the pile (or the part of the rug that you […]
Every so often, we write a rug term dictionary post for those wanting to improve their handmade rug vernacular. Whether you are an expert on decorative rugs or reading about the field for the first time, you will find these terms to be very interesting! Attribution: assigning a geographic, ethnic, and/or commercial origin to weaving […]
In the 1980s, decorative carpets came into fashion. These rugs were formal looking and light in color. Essentially, they were the opposite of tribal and village rugs. Ironically, this change in preference come about just as the Oriental rug industry was finally able to meet the demand for inexpensive tribal rugs. Throughout the 70s and […]
Dyes and Spin For all intents and purposes, natural dyes and modern synthetic dyes are excellent, as are hand and machine spun wool. When buying an Oriental rug, the choice between the two depends on personal aesthetic. There are four ways these choices can be combined: natural dye with handspun wool, synthetic dye with handspun […]