Handmade Persian rugs are rugs that are made by humans—not machines. They are usually woven on a loom where the warp is stretched from the top to bottom. The wefts are the threads woven horizontally and they move in and out of the warp strands. When the warp is tied together, it creates a pile.
The weaving process can take a long time. Research studies have shown that it can take up to 6 months to weave a 6’ by 9’ carpet.
Materials
Many fabric materials are used in weaving. The most common ones being: wool, cotton and silk. Handmade silk oriental rugs are the most delicate and most expensive. Due to their delicate nature, many people use them as wall hangings rather than laying them on the floor.
While the rugs are made from different fabric materials, they have one unifying feature—they are crafted from warps and wefts.
Warps are strong threads that run the length of the carpet while the wefts run under and over the warps. The wefts are the threads that give the rugs their different patterns. It’s good to note that the patterns vary depending on the people making the carpets, the standard of living of the people, and the occasion when the carpets are made.
How to tell if a Persian rug is handmade
Handmade oriental rugs are known for their high quality and elegant look. Due to this, many people will try to sell you a machine made rug as handmade. To avoid getting scammed, here are tips to help you know whether the rug is handmade:
Back of the rug: the knots in handmade rugs are uneven; therefore, if you look at the back of the rug and you see that the knots are even, chances are that the rug is machine made.
Fringes: the fringes in a handmade Persian rug are usually an extension of the rug’s foundation. On the other hand the fringes in a machine made rug are sewn on and attached to the rug as a finishing touch.
Label: it’s rare for hand woven rugs to have labels; however, it’s very common for the machine made rugs to have the labels. It’s good to note that some unscrupulous business men tend to remove the labels for the machine made rugs to pass as handmade.
Conclusion
Handmade Persian rugs are great to have; however, you need to be cautious when buying them. To be sure that you are buying the right rug, you should buy from a reputable Oriental rug store.
