When it comes to oriental rugs, there’s some truth to the old adage “You get what you pay for.” However, you never want to assume that just because a rug costs a lot of money, it’s automatically high-quality. There are a few things that go into assessing the quality of an oriental rug. 1. Look […]
Ah, the age old question: are old oriental rugs better than new oriental rugs? Okay, maybe the question isn’t that old (especially when compared to how long oriental rugs have been around), but there is a lot of debate among rug collectors. Many are adamant that old oriental rugs are far superior to new ones. […]
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! Fustic wood: called old fustic or dyer’s mulberry, a yellow […]
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 […]
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 […]
In terms of price and quality, contemporary Chinese rugs are probably the best value items produced today. The rug-making industry is organized under the government control and a wide range of items, which conform to exact standards of quality, size, colour and design, are woven in a number of manufactories and workshops in Peking, Tientsin, […]
Oriental rugs always use natural fibers, and any rug containing synthetic material will invariably have been machine made. The only exception to this rule in the occasional use of very small quantities of gold or metallic thread in some workshop and master workshop items. Wool, cotton, and silk are the main materials, although goat and […]