Why Are Oriental Area Rugs “Expensive?”
Oriental and Persian Online Area Rug Appraisals
Have you ever wondered how long creating a beautiful Persian rug takes? With the example of a 7X4 Kermanshah piece, we first calculate the number of square feet: 7X4= 28 square feet, equal to 4,032 inches. A Kermanshah rug is woven with at least twenty knots per inch; that’s 400 knots per inch and 1,612.800 knots for this particular size! The intricate craftsmanship required for such incredible pieces truly astounds me whenever I see one.
Crafting this stunning rug takes a masterful weaver, as they can only intricately tie up to three knots per minute, resulting in 180 knots each hour. With eight hours of work daily, the masterpiece would take nearly four years to complete.
Wool and goat’s hair are the primary materials used to make rugs, yet other textiles like silk, camel hair, linen, cotton, or hemp may also be used. However, according to Mahometan belief, hogs or dog hairs are never used in rug making as they are considered unclean animals.
Men, known as boyahilar or dyers, are the only ones responsible for dyeing the wool and other materials used to make rugs. Each district has at least one of these specialists that prepares this yarn for weavers who may not have adequate resources in their homes.
Crafting and dying the wool or silk for an Oriental or Persian rug requires tremendous skill and precision. Natural dyes must be extracted from various sources such as leaves, roots, barks, flowers, and vegetable madder to ensure the rug’s stunning colors remain intact. This process involves constant boiling and reboiling or fermentation until the desired hue is attained. The outcome of this laborious effort? Simply captivating!
Why is it that despite enduring generations of usage, some ancient rugs remain perfectly preserved with a sheen and beauty that only time can provide? This phenomenon is attributed to how Muslims and Christians in Eastern regions treat their carpets. By always taking off their shoes upon entering the house or wearing pabooch (a kind of sandal) instead, which have soft soles, these precious artifacts created through years of exquisite craftsmanship stay intact for centuries.
From the shearing of the sheep to cleaning and spinning the wool to the dyeing process, the expert weaving, and final inspection. These processes are labor intensive and could take months or years to weave one rug. The weaver(s) have their heart and soul dedicated to their craft, and each hand-woven carpet has a story to tell when you know where to look.
Often our Rug Master is asked,” why are Oriental and Persian rugs so expensive?” Now you know.
Oriental Rug Salon is a full-service Oriental rug cleaning, restoration, repair, and appraisal company serving clients throughout the United States. We are located in Cape Coral, Florida, and offer free pick up and delivery for most rugs throughout Lee, Charlotte, and Collier County, Florida.
Oriental Rug Salon is a Certified Partner with the prestigious Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the International Carpet & Rug Institute (CR). We are a WoolSafe Certified Service Provider, and our cleaning solutions are GOLD-certified, allergen-free, and safe for pets and infants.
We offer online rug appraisals to clients as diverse as the court systems, insurance companies, rug retailers and collectors, estate attorneys, and owners of area rugs who would like an appraisal and historical identification of their cherished area rug.
For more information on Oriental Rug Salon and our services, please visit us online at https://orientalrugsalon.com/ or call us any time at 239-424-8171. You can also visit us on our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/OrientalRugSalon/
