Buying a Rug

At Artisan Rug Gallery we think the most important factors that you need to think about in purchasing a hand-made rug are threefold: do you like it? Are the colors going to work for you? And will this fit within your budget? If the answer is yes, then it is time to take a closer look.

When looking at a handmade rug, remember that a quality carpet is more than just a high knot count and high-quality materials but also dye technique, the number of colors used, the sophistication of design, and whether you, the consumer, enjoy the rug!

You will need to closely inspect the structure of the carpet which consists of knotted pile, the warp threads, the weft threads, the fringe and the selvedge. You examine a rug by studying the back. You can find the knot count of a rug by counting the knots in a square inch. Using a ruler, count one inch of knots horizontally and vertically and then multiply the two together. The sum of the equation is the knot count of the rug. Handmade rugs can have a knot count from 50 to 12,000 knots per square inch. While a higher knot count often points to a fine0quality rug, other factors also play into whether the rug is superior quality. Some rugs Utilize thick threads so that even if the rug is fantastic and packed very tight, it may only have 100 knots per square inch. You might also be looking at a silk rug that is made with very fine strands, this rug may have over 900 knots per square inch. Both of these rugs are probably of excellent quality even though the knot count is so disparate.

Be wary of loosely packed rugs and also look closely for holes, moth damage, and stains, especially in older carpets. Be sure also to make sure that the fringe and selvedges (the sides of the rug) are in good shape. Both the fringe and the selvedge should be strong and fairly straight. Check that the pile is even and the rugs pile lays even and does not have an irreparable wrinkle or crease.

A spectacular rug can easily be rendered worthless if inferior, fugitive synthetic dyes were used. This type of dye was very popular in the 1850's because it was so cheap, and was actually outlawed in some parts of Persia. Now those rugs, which were once brilliant turquoise mauves and other brilliant colors, are now grey and Beige yet still worth money to people who are now collectors of that rug era. A new rug made with fugitive synthetic dyes is not desirable, as the color will fade and often destroy the surface is it set on by bleeding onto that surface. To check to see if the rug you are looking at is color-fast, simply wipe a damp cloth over the surface of the rug and study the damp cloth for color. Fast Synthetic Dyes are an undesirable rug dye. Rugs dyed with Fast synthetic dyes are disadvantageous because the do not fade, and therefore the rug does not mellow and become even more beautiful with time. Remember that some new rugs have been washed and left in the sun to purposely give them a distressed and antique look. Idealistically your rug would be made using natural (vegetable, animal or mineral) dyes that have been properly used, and/or semi-fast synthetic dyes.

Artisan Rug Gallery is happy to let you take rugs out on approval. We believe that seeing the rugs placed in your home is imperative, and will insure that you are buying a piece of art that will make your house your home.