Every month or so, we will post a few interesting rug-related terms and their definitions in this glossary for your knowledge and enjoyment.

Always educate yourself on a topic before you make a purchase, especially with something like Persian Rugs!

These terms can help your rug-related knowledge base and help in your next purchase of an oriental rug.

Armenian rugs- There are rugs with Armenian inscriptions from Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus.

Most are from the Caucasus. much of the rug production of Shusha in nineteenth-century Karabagh is thought to have been woven by Armenians. Some scholars believe the early Caucasian Dragon Carpets are attributed to Armenians of the southern Caucasus.

Art silk- A trade term for artificial silk or mercerized cotton.

Caterpillar rugs- A nineteenth-century American rug consisting of accordian-folded strips of fabric stitched to a fabric backing.

Chiamada- A tribe of south west Morocco. Their rugs have a burgundy field with scattered diamonds or small geometric elements. Their flatweaves employ the slit tapestry structure.

Value, color- The lightness or darkness of a color apart from the admixture of white or black.

Vase Carpet Structure- A structure used in certain sixteenth and seventeenth-century Persian vase carpets and other carpets. Warps are cotton and wefts are wool, cotton, or silk. Three wefts are used after each row of knots, two of wool and one of cotton or silk. Warps are completely offset. Wool pile and an asymmetric knot open to the left are used in this structure.

Wall-to-Wall Carpeting- Any broadloom carpet fixed to the floor and entirely covering the surface.

Warping the Loom- The process of fixing the warps to the loom to achieve the desired warp count and warp tension. Special skill is required in this process.

Glossary Source: The Oriental Rug Lexicon (Paperback) By (author) Peter F. Stone