Some think that Oriental rugs for sale have become more valuable because people are more selective about their materials.
Others might value a rug for its color, warmth, or history.
It's all about personal preference, but you should consider the factors that make a rug valuable.
Factors That Add Value to Oriental Rugs
Oriental handmade rugs are highly valued possessions for those who own them. The rugs are priced quite high in comparison to machine made area rugs and are often passed down from one generation to the next.
Here’re some factors that make oriental handmade rugs valued:
1. Materials Used in Oriental Rugs
Most antique carpets are art objects because the weaver used natural materials and dyes and drew inspiration from their environment’s designs.
Wool, silk, and cotton are natural textiles that don't require any chemicals or other treatments before being used, and they age beautifully. Natural materials are more durable, and the colors do not fade or fade as soon as synthetic ones.
Also, the value of the natural material used directly impacts the value of the rug. For instance, wool handmade rugs are more expensive than cotton rugs.
Moreover, some handmade oriental rugs also include materials such as camel and goat hair that make the rug even more valuable. It is also said that some historical handmade rugs made for palaces and churches included strands of silver too!
2. Weaving Techniques Used
Materials aren’t the only factor that make a handmade Oriental rug valuable. The way those materials are used and woven also matters!
Age old weaving techniques are employed to craft these handmade pieces of art. Weavers with ancestors who passed down the skill of weaving to their next generation make these rugs with their practiced fingers – entwining each thread with the other, knotting wool and cotton in a way that the threads stay bonded for centuries to come.
Knotting techniques often determine the life and longevity of a rug. Also, rugs made using a certain weaving technique, such as the Ghordies knot or the popular Senneh knot may be expensive than others.
3. Country of Origin
In the category of handmade Oriental rugs, there are many sub-categories based on the rugs’ country of origin, such as Persian rugs (made in Iran), Pakistani rugs, Afghani rugs, and so on.
Apart from this, rugs are also divided into categories based on the area/region where they were first created, such as Bokhara rugs, Caucasian rugs, Oushak rugs, etc.
All these rugs are handwoven but the techniques used and the design patterns made differ to a great extent.
For instance, a handmade Bokhara rug is filled with the ‘elephant foot’ motif, whereas an Oushak rug has a more floral pattern. Similarly, Afghani and Pakistani rugs usually include geometric designs and motifs.
Additionally, the quality of handmade rugs made in different countries varies from each other. Persian rugs are often considered by the experts to be the best, but a lot of rug lovers prefer buying Pakistani rugs because of the quality of the local wool used in these.
Knots Per Square Inch
An Oriental handmade rug’s durability and longevity are determined by how thickly it is knotted.
The knots must be tight and somewhat regular in structure and size and tiny enough to view the complex designs and let the materials' brilliance and color show through.
Weavers' skills, abilities, and originality are showcased in small, thick, consistently knotted carpets.
A densely knotted rug can survive for many years if properly cared for. Also, it feels more luxurious and softer to touch since there are more fibers in it.
Adding an Oriental rug to your home can be a great idea because artifacts such as these would breathe life into your interior décor. These rugs are crafted over a long period of months by weavers, and each artifact tells a tale of its own through the mesmerizing colors, historic patterns, and meaningful motifs.
The best part about buying an Oriental rug is that the rug would live long enough to be passed down through your generations. And, if take proper care of, there are high chances for the value of you rug to increase overtime as the production of such authentic artifacts is continually decreasing in today’s machine-run world.
All in all, Oriental handmade rugs can truly be called an investment that you can walk on!
