Handmade Rugs Shopping Tips
Learning to analyze and evaluate an Oriental rug is an art in itself and a complex subject involving thousands of different kinds of rugs with virtually infinite variations. Moreover, prices keep changing because of political, economic and social forces throughout the world. By necessity, therefore, the explanation will be oversimplified. Nonetheless, it will be sufficient enough to analyze the quality of almost all the rugs you are likely to encounter and to estimate their retail value.
Learning to analyze and evaluate an Oriental rug is an art in itself and a complex subject involving thousands of different kinds of rugs with virtually infinite variations. Moreover, prices keep changing because of political, economic and social forces throughout the world. By necessity, therefore, the explanation will be oversimplified. Nonetheless, it will be sufficient enough to analyze the quality of almost all the rugs you are likely to encounter and to estimate their retail value.
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Analyzing a Rug
There really isn't any precise formula to judge the 'quality' of a rug. However, there is criteria that when examined will give you definite indications as to whether a rug is of high quality, poor quality or somewhere in between. These factors are:
1) Knots per square inch
2) Materials used
3) Design
4) Colors
5) Age
6) Condition
The tables that follow will give you a method of judging a rug in terms of 'value point', so that you can compare two completely different rugs using common factors. As you go through the six tables determining value points on a specific rug, the tables for design, colors and condition may require some interpolation - meaning reaching the proper point number between two descriptions. For example, in the color table you may find the rug is better than description number two but not good enough to fit the fourth. It would then receive a 'three' rating.
The best way to make use of the tables effectively is to spend quite some time examing a variety of rugs from inexpensive to very expensive. By looking at a dozen pieces or so across a wide range of quality, you will easily get an overall feel for color, design, and material. This will make the description in the tables more meaningful.
FACTOR 1: KNOTS
To measure this factor, turn over a portion of the rug's corner and count the number of knots in a horizontal running inch (3 cm.). Do the same for a vertical running inch and multiply one number by the other. The resulting figure is the number of knots per square inch. You may wish to make your count in two or three places to obtain a good average, as the weave may vary from section to section. Remember that some rugs may have more than one row of knots squeezed in between the weft threads. To determine the value points in the knots factor, use the following table:
|
TABLE 1 |
|
| Knots per Square inch | Value Ratings |
| 729 or above | 10 |
| 600-728 | 9 |
| 484-599 | 8 |
| 380-483 | 7 |
| 289-379 | 6 |
| 210-288 | 5 |
| 144-209 | 4 |
| 91-143 | 3 |
| Below 90 | 0-2 |
FACTOR 2: MATERIALS
To measure this factor, determine the material used in the rug. Locate the description on the table below and record the value points. Any wool that has undergone strong chemical bleaching should be classified, for the purpose of this table, as 'poor wool'.
|
TABLE 2 |
|
| Material | Value Rating |
| 1. Silk pile on silk warp | 10 |
| 2. Fine kurk (lamb's) wool on a silk warp or a fine cotton warp | 9 |
| 3. Fine wool with or without silk inlay on a fine cotton or silk warp; also silk on a cotton warp | 8 |
| 4. Silk and good wool on a cotton warp | 7 |
| 5. Good wool on a cotton warp | 6 |
| 6. Regular wool on a cotton warp | 5 |
| 7. Regular wool on a regular warp; regular cotton on a cotton warp | 4 |
| 8. Cotton (art silk) on a cotton warp | 3 |
| 9. Poor wool on a cotton warp | 2 |
| 10. Poor wool on a jute warp, cotton on a jute warp | 0-1 |
FACTOR 3: DESIGN
When allocating these value points, remember that Oriental rugs are handmade and therefore their designs are often legitimately less uniform than those of machine-made rugs. For example, a row of matching flowers need not to be identical. The following table is based on two key elements : the first is the portion of the background field that has been left undecorated (the less decorated, the lower the rating); and the second is the intricacy and precision with which the pattern has been delineated. If an entire design is drawn so that it is seriously crooked, giving the rug a lopsided look, then no matter how finely detailed it is, drop the rug down two value points.
|
TABLE 3 |
|
| Design Description |
Value Points |
| 1. Minutely detailed, small curvilinear pattern differently detailed throughout the pattern, which may either be abstract or representational. Almost the entire background is covered by design. |
10 |
| 2. Minutely detailed rectilinear designs that cover almost all of the background. Or finely detailed curvilinear allover, medallion, representational, abstract or floral designs. |
9 |
| 3. Realistically drawn figural or pictorial rug, moderately detailed curvilinear, medallion, representational, abstract or floral design. |
8 |
| 4. Moderately detailed curvilinear prayer arch and vase designs (these patterns tend to leave a lot of plain background) or well-drawn, curvilinear all-over designs. Or moderately detailed rectilinear representational or abstract patterns. |
6 |
| 5. Less detailed an elaborate designs or medallion designs with plain, open fields such as Kirmans. |
4 |
| 6. Simple, geometric designs such as typical Afghans or elaborately detailed hand-embossed, patterned rugs such as modern Chinese rugs. |
3 |
| 7. Simple, carved, hand-embossed designs |
1-2 |
| 8. Any plain rug |
0 |
FACTOR 4: COLOUR
In the description below, the term 'colour tone' has been used rather than just colour. In this way, different shades (grass green or pistachio green, for example) and different tones (light or dark) count as different colour tones. White, grey, beige and black also count as colour tones.
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To evaluate this factor, select the description from talbe 4 that best fits the rug and record the appropriate value points. You may have to judge between two descriptions to obtain the proper number.
|
TABLE 4 |
|
| Colour Description |
Value Points |
| 1. Nine or more distinct colour tones, blended so that no single colour jumps out. Rug should use colour in combination that seem unlikely to work, yet do some amazingly well. Colour may have 'jewel' effect, conveying a subtle overall glow or have the quality of colour used in impressionist paintings. |
10 |
| 2. Seven or more colour tones in perfect harmony but lacking breathtakingly beautiful effect necessary for grade 10. Enough subtlety in the combined use of various colours so that there is this feeling that you would never tire of it. |
8 |
| 3. Five or more colours that blend well so that no single colour stands out. Rugs may have darkly rich effect, be a pretty pastle or be a rainbow of colours, so long as none of the colours are muddled, washed out or crude. Most modern silk-washed, mulit-coloured carpets would fit the score. |
6 |
| 4. Four or more well-blanded colours, such as are found in rugs from Turkoman region. Most commercial Kirmans would fall in this category as would Handmade and Anatolians. |
4 |
| 5. Five or more colour tones that are prettily blended- except for the addition of crude or 'electric' colours which appear to stand out. Or two beautifully rich colours such as you might find in a deep ruby coloured Afghan with its design in midnight blue. |
2 |
| 6. There are more harsh, dreary or muddy colour tones. Bleached colours that are faded and patchy. Serious colours run - or a rug which would otherwise fit the 6- points description except that the colours inro one another. |
1 |
| 7. A rug with any number of crude or electric colours that clash unpleasantly. Any rug woven in only one solid colour, no matter how beautiful the colour is. |
0 |
FACTOR 5: AGE
To determine the number of value points for the age of any rug, interpolate using the table below.
|
TABLE 5 |
|
| Age | Value Points |
| 100 years and older | 10 |
| 70 years and older | 8 |
| 40 years and older | 6 |
| 20 years and older | 4 |
| 10 years and older | 2 |
| Below 10 years | 0 |
FACTOR 6: CONDITION
To evaluate the factor, select the description that best fits the condition of the rug and record the point value. You may have to judge between description to obtain the correct value.
|
TABLE 6 |
|
| Condition Description |
Value Points |
| 1. In perfect condition. No holes, worn spots, patches or traceable repairs of any kind. Pile length should be 'as new'. Fringes and borders are all present and correct and the rug is clean. This description fits most new rugs. |
10 |
| 2. Fringes are loose but not missing and need 'stopping'. Everything else is in perfect order. |
9 |
| 3. Excellent except for a repair or two, professionally rewoven, invisible from front and almost invisible from the back. Or else, the pile has been worn down so that it is short (3.1 mm high) but has been evenly worn so that the surface of the rug is uniform. |
8 |
| 4. Apparently excellent condition except that the rug is very dirty. No stains have penetrated through to the back of the rug. Until the dirt is removed, you can never be sure of what will be found underneath. (The rug is unlikely to graduate to a 10 point rating as it has been allowed to get so dirty. It might turn out to deserve an 8 or drop to a 2). When in doubt drop it down a point. |
7 |
| 5. Good condition other than that you can tell from the symmetry of the pattern that some of the borders have been removed or that the rug underwent major repair, not obvious from the front but immediately visible at the back. |
6 |
| 6. Pile is less than (31 mm) but some wool remains. Wear is more or less even over full surface and design is clear. Rug should be free of serious stains. |
4 |
| 7. Moderately stained rug, otherwise is excellent condition. Or pile is completely worn away but knots themselves remain, so the design is clear. (It should still look well on a wall). |
3 |
| 8. Three or four serious cuts several inches long, provided the edges of the cuts still have knots attached so they can be sewn. Or the fringe has unravelled so that part of the rug it self unravelled and was lost. This rating is for rugs that have lost 3 inches (8 cm) or more, not just a few rows. Or else a permanently noticeably stained rug! |
2 |
| 9. The majority of the pattern has worn away. A rug that is brittle and is cracking. A rug has most of it missing. |
0 |
Note: A score of 0 for condition nullifies all other factor values points. One exception is a large rug that can be cut down to exclude the damaged areas and still it maintains its beauty.
When you have calculated the value points for the six factors, record them on the chart below. This is under column one. Multiply this number by the number in column two. Enter the product in column three. Put the sum of column there in the box marked total. With this figure, you have a way of comparing the appropriate quality of carpets.
| 1 Value Points |
2 Multiplier |
3 Product |
| Knots | 12 | |
| Material | 7 | |
| Design | 6 | |
| Colour | 6 | |
| Age | 3 | |
| Condition | 2 | |
|
Total: |
RUG PRICES
Rug prices are usually quoted per square feet. In Pakistan, prices of handwoven rugs range anywhere from Rs.70 per square foot to 300 rupees per square foot, depending, of course on density of knotting and other vital factors. You can arrive at the price of the entire rug by multiplying the length of the rug by its width and further multiplying it by the number of square feet in the rug.
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For example, if your rug is 5.5 feet long by 3 feet wide the square footage is 16.5 ft. If you are measuring in inches, multiply the length in inches by the width in inches and divide by 144. This will, again, give you square footage. To calculate square meters from feet, divide square feet by 10.76.
It is generally agreed that the value of Pakistani rugs increase about 10-15% per year. Thus, in ten years at 10% a year a rug would be worth 2.6 times its present value, a return on investment of 160%. However, inflation will account for a portion of the ten-year price increase. Nonetheless, the genuine growth is still impressive. This growth trend is not new but has been going on for generations. Isfahani carpets, which are thought to increase in value at 25% were being sold in 1938 for $1 per square foot. Today they cost $600!
It is also interesting to compare the growth of rugs with other popular investment articles. In the period June 1969 to June 1979, rough diamonds, old master paintings and rare coins increased about 12% annually, while stamps and gold increased about 20% annually. Old Baluchis, on the other hand, increased by an average of 35% per year over the same period.
MYTHS ABOUT RUGS: AN AFTERWORD
More rugs have been destroyed by myths than by months. The first is that 'old and apparently worn-out rugs are worthless'. Sometimes, all that is needed is a good wash and some minor repairs. However, not every old Oriental rug is worth of fortune. So, assess your rug carefully or have it valued by an expert.
A plain silly myth is that 'all Oriental design carpets are genuine handmade Orientals'. This just isn't true. 'Oriental design' only means that the design originates in the East; there are plenty of machine-made rugs being produced in the Orient too.
'The thicker the rug, the stronger it is'. This may apply to machine-made rugs but is not true for Orientals. The strength of the Orientals comes, rather, from the quality of the materials used and the firmness of and density of the knots.
One final myth states that 'An Oriental rug will last forever'. If you have chosen the correct rug and are taking good care of it; this myth, can prove to be correct.
Courtesy: Nazneen Zafar, A Practical Guide to Pakistani Rugs, Liberty Books, Karachi, 1992
