Everything you wanted to know about investing in quality rugs.
ORIENTAL rugs have a mystique
about them with their painstaking craftsmanship, rich jewel tones and exotic
patterns handed down through the centuries.
They conjure up images of
quaint Persians fearlessly balancing themselves on flying rugs, the wind
whistling about their heads.
Indeed, the countries of
ancient Persia - notably Iran today - still rule the world in Oriental rug
weaving. Iran exported $1-billion in hand- woven carpets during the past year.
Their woollen works of art top the list of the country's non-oil exports.
The quality of rug-making can
vary greatly - depending on the technique, the quality of the wool and weaving
conditions. Just what do you look for when investing in a quality carpet? What
makes one rug expensive, and the other not?
"You can get two rugs from
the same origin, with two different wools," says Abe Jahromi, who buys
carpets around the world for Elte Carpets Ltd. in Toronto. "And they will
have totally different values. You have to look at quality on an individual
basis."
Still, Persians are the class
of the carpet world, craved by collectors and well-heeled homeowners who fancy
the names Sarouk, Kashan, Kerman, Heriz and Tabriz. They always have brought
the highest prices for the finest, detailed works. Other high quality rugs come
from Romania but craftsmen from Pakistan and India are also beginning to weave
exquisite pieces.
Factors that determine quality
and price, according to Mr. Jahromi, are knot density; the compactness of the
pile; the material; colour and design trends; the quality of dyes and how they
are applied; the shearing process; the shape of the rug; the use of chemical
washes; and the general condition of the piece.
The more knots there are, the
more intricate and clear the design. The average density of knotting in a rug
is 150,000 to 200,000 knots, but a greater number of knots does not improve performance
as much as it improves the design definition.
But the finer you make it, the
harder it is to tie a knot. And the more often the weaver has to change a
colour in an intricate design, the longer it takes to complete the carpet.
Because the labour is more intense, so is the expense.
A Chinese rug has on average 50
to 60 knots per square inch, while the average Persian has 150, a good Persian
200, a super Persian 400 and a rare Persian 600.
"There are some with 900
to 1,500 knots per square inch, but there may be only 10 in the world,"
Mr. Jahromi said. The record is 3,500 knots per square inch. On such a rug, you
cannot see the loops on the carpet backing.
A skilled weaver can tie from
10,000 to 14,000 knots a day, according to the Oriental Rug Retailers of
America, Inc. On a six-foot by nine-foot rug that has about 160 knots per
square inch, weavers may only be able to complete one inch across the width in
one day. The rug might take the weaver five months to complete.
But on a rug that has 600 to
700 knots per square inch, the process is slower. The weaver may only be able
to do 3,000 to 4,000 knots a day, working with thinner yarn. Some of the higher
quality Persians have as many as one million knots and take more than a year to
weave.
The compactness of the pile is
what gives a rug its durability, because the more fibres there are, the less
pressure each fibre bears when stepped on. If weavers go to a thicker yarn,
they may not be able to get them close together.
If the material is faulty, it
won't last long even if it is densely woven. The durability, flame resistant
qualities, colour quality, cleanability and water repellency of wool make it
the best fibre for the pile. Cotton is a better material for the carpet backing
because it will lie flat, won't stretch, shrinks evenly and is thinner and
stronger than wool.
There are different qualities
of wool, too. A carpet made of "dead wool" has a short life span.
"Live wool" is sheared from a sheep but dead wool is removed from the
carcass with chemicals. But the chemicals also remove wool's natural lustre and
dyes will not take as well on dead wool. The wool becomes brittle and wears
down in two or three years instead of 40, according to some carpet experts.
Dead wool is hard to detect,
although it has a different feel. The best bet is to deal with a reputable
store and avoid auctioneers who sell "only the rarest of antiques."
Colour and design also
contribute to the price. The more fashionable the colour, the more expensive
the carpet will be.
The quality of dyes - and how
they are applied - is also important. The weavers of Persia have used natural
dyes from vegetables and animals to get the clear, bright colours - and they
last, although they soften pleasantly over the years. Often the softened
colours of an aged rug enhance its value.
Traditionally, weavers have
used pomegranates to produce yellows, walnuts for browns, indigo plants for
greens and a special Middle East root for the traditional brick reds. A small
insect found in North Africa and Mexico will produce a maroon red. The
techniques of applying these have been handed down through generations of
weavers.
The disadvantages in using
natural dyes are the small choice of colours and the difficulty - and expense -
in applying them. Some natural dyes are even destructive. Black colours,
composed of iron oxide, will actually corrode wool.
"Watch for black and brown
outlining on rugs, although you don't see many traditional rugs in black,"
Mr. Jahromi said.
The best dyes used today are
chrome dyes, which come in 600 colours, won't run or streak, are colourfast and
won't harm wool.
Chemical washes can also erode
the quality or price of a rug. Because the colours of chrome dyes are harsher
than vegetable dyes, some rugs are given a chemical wash, which softens the
colours and gives the rug a sheen. "But if the chemical wash is heavy, the
rug will not perform as well," Mr. Jahromi said.
Shearing can also turn a
stunning rug into a shaggy dog if the clippers are given to the wrong person. The naps of
Middle Eastern rugs are not made to be as even and precision-perfect as Chinese
rugs and sometimes it's not desirable to be perfect - "within
reason," Mr. Jahromi added. Many Pakistani craftsman take the scissors to
their rugs. At any rate, normal use of the carpet may make the nap more even,
he sighed.
And nobody wants a rug that is
out of shape. Pieces made by nomadic tribes are often crooked: it's not easy to
maintain the perfect tension while knotting on the back of a donkey. But if the
discrepency is not obvious when you put the rug down - say a three-inch sway on
a 12-foot length, don't worry about it, Mr. Jahromi said. Worry, instead, about
one that is off by a foot.
Rugs that are worn evenly are
not a problem, but avoid threadbare rugs. However, fringes can be easy to fix.
You can renew the fringes on a 9 x 12 rug for several hundred dollars. A
coarser rug is cheaper to repair.
And if you don't want your
expensive work of art to be down-trodden? Hang it on a wall!
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