Oriental Rug Quality

Materials

 

The high-quality materials involved in an Oriental Rug’s crafting is what defines its illustrious composition. The better the material, the better the rug. These materials include neat wool and silk. For a Hand-knotted rug, fine wool and silk are an essential material. Other than Hand-knotted, hand-spun and machine-spun both generate quality wools, though the latter is usually less expensive. More-so, it is very easy to spot a good quality silk rug. Unlike wool rugs they should be extremely shiny as their gleam reflects a better chance for you to see the actual silk. On the contrary, Machine-made rugs are made with materials that are processed with other chemicals that ruin the material’s overall sheen.

 

Dyeing

 

The wool utilized in rug-making is classified into two groups: Synthetic-dye and Vegetable-dye. Vegetable-dyed wools are preferred as they are considered aesthetically pleasing and more valuable than others. However, that isn’t to say Vegetable-dyed rugs are entirely preferred— they simply have a deep sense of tradition attached to their craft.

 

How long it takes to make a rug

 

The weaving labor alone can be an extensive and intricate process. One can’t easily estimate the hours put into making a handmade rug. The contributions of the dyer and rug designer must likewise be taken into account, as well as the process of assembling the materials and processing it. However, it can take anywhere between a month to over a year to craft a hand knotted carpet based on its size, quality, and hours of labor.

 

Skill of Weavers

 

A rug doesn’t depend solely on the hands that weave it; however, it is the most crucial and essential item that makes up a well-made Oriental rug. These weavers are considered to be artists who are at the top of their game. To judge the skill of the weavers, you must observe the actual design, execution, and quality behind the rugs made. The more intricate and detailed the design and motifs are, the more you can know about the weaver’s lifetime knowledge.

 

Quality of knots count and weaving quality

 

Knot counts are basically the indication of the fine quality of the weaving, as well as the amount of work needed to complete the rug. The true artistic value of a rug hardly depends on knot counts; rather, it depends on the finishing of the design and the colors. The knot count is measured in knots per square inch (KPSI), or per square decimeter. Knot counts are best done on the back of the rug as it tends to be one of the most vital areas. The weaving quality mainly depends on the rug’s symmetry, especially when it comes to the knot construction and the overall finishing of the rug.

 

Persian rugs KPSI

 

Raj	KPSI
30	118
40	210
50	329
60	473
70	675
90	1066

The knot counts in Persian rugs are based on a unit of measure called “raj”, which is about 7 cm. A square knot construction system that is the same number of knots in both width and length is followed by most, but not all, of the best rugs. Below is a basic chart converting raj to knots per square inch:

  

Indian rugs KPSI

 

Indian rugs have a quality rating system of its own where two numbers are used. The first number represents the number of knots in 9/10 of an inch of the rug’s width, while the second figure is the number of knots in 4 1/2 inches of the rugs length. Below is a basic chart describing the rating system:

Quality	KPSI
3.5/32	28
5/28	35
5/32	40
6/6	36
6/40	59
6/45	67
7/18	31
7/40	69
8/8	64
8/36	71
9/9	81
9/25	56
9/54	120
9/60	133
10/10	100
10/14	140
10/32	79
10.5/48	124
11/32	87
12/60	178
13/65	209
14/14	196
16/80	316

  

The Age of the Rug

 

Wines and men aren’t the only thing that gets finer with age. Buying a one-of-a-kind, handmade rug means that over time, it will increase not only in both value and exquisiteness. This means a simple wool rug or carpet can keep a hold of its value over a decade of time and still be resold for its original purchased value— sometimes more than even that!