Oriental rugs – everybody knows about them and loves them to bits so much so that they are often used as family heirlooms and sentimental articles. But where there’s authenticity, there’s also a chance of getting scammed. So, to buy real oriental area rugs and to prevent yourself from getting duped by a knock-off oriental rug, here are ways how to exactly spot a fake one so you can avoid it.
Plastic Backing
One of the biggest signs of a fake oriental rug is that it has a plastic or nylon backing when you flip the rug over. This isn’t the case with authentic rugs because the rug is literally the same material through and through.
A plastic backing also implies that the rug isn’t handmade rather it was knotted on a machine, so that’s a huge giveaway for fake rugs. You can easily spot a shiny plastic backing if you flip the rug over and there will be a visible line where the backing starts and ends.
No Richness In Color
Genuine oriental rugs have a rich color payoff and they don’t bleed into each other either. The same can’t be said about fake oriental rugs, however. They might look okay in the beginning but as time goes on, you will see the rug starting to bleed the colors and it is more evident after washing it.
The quality of fake oriental rugs is very cheap and you can take one look at the bleeding colors and you’ll know that it’s not the real thing.
The Rug Material
Authentic oriental rugs have a silky and soft feeling when you run your hands on the surface of the tuft and that’s mainly because of the material. Fake rugs are cheaper because they’re not made out of luxurious materials like high-quality wool or silk and they don’t even have the same soft feeling.
If the rug is made out of synthetic wool or nylon, then it’s going to have a rougher texture and it will also get warm pretty quickly. So, the next time you’re out looking for a rug, don’t underestimate your sense of feeling textures because you can easily distinguish between a real and fake rug, simply by touching it and figuring out the material.
Fading Of The Rug
Fake rugs fade really quickly especially after washing them only once or twice and all of this can happen in a couple of months of you owning the rug.
First of all, the material isn’t genuine so it’s going to appear more frayed and fluffed up and if the rug quality is really bad, then it will start to show bald spots in some places. Secondly, because the material isn’t wool or silk, the dye will not be soaked all the way through and the color payoff won’t be great.
You can also tell whether a rug is genuine or not by washing it because a fake rug will bleed color in the water. If you’re using a washing machine to wash a small area rug, the rug will look faded in color and appearance after drying. Authentic rugs never bleed color whether you’re cleaning them with water or having them dry cleaned.
Look For Hand Knots
Authentic rugs have a somewhat fluffy texture, that’s not overbearing and that’s the result of the hand knotting of the strands of wool or silk. Hand knots are also important in making designs and the knots can be seen at the back as well. The design is like an imprint on the front and back and the knots add that beautiful and characteristic texture to the rug.
Fake rugs are very thin and flat and they don’t have a single knot in the design. This basically implies that the rug is, in fact, not hand-knotted as marketed and it is probably made on a machine and sold to you at the price of a real oriental rug.
Inspect The Fringes
Another thing that you can do to differentiate between a real and fake oriental rug is by looking at the fringes on the rug. In fake rugs, the fringes are not a part of the rug. They are essentially separated fringes and they’re sewed on later after the rug is made. You can see a stitching seam that goes around the corner of the rug showing that the fringes are attached later.
In real oriental rugs, the fringes are a part of the rug and they’re tied together in knots at the end to conclude the knotting process. So, an authentic rug is a singular piece of fabric but knotted in different ways, to give the texture of the actual rug and the fringes on the sides.
Authentic Rugs On Discount? No Way
Don’t get excited when you see a discount offer of a rug store selling “authentic” area rugs because that’s a huge marketing gimmick. The truth is that authentic rugs are rarely ever on sale and whatever rug you’re buying from the too-good-to-be-true, “50% off on everything” offer is probably fake.
If you want to get an authentic oriental rug that’s the real deal then you’ll have to pay the price for it.
The Price
Speaking of the price, fake rugs have prices that seem almost like a steal and this is a huge scam that a lot of people can fall for especially if they are avid online shoppers. Rugs aren’t cheap articles of décor. They are considered luxury items and the real ones are very expensive to the point where you can’t justify the price sometimes. But the price is also a giveaway whether the rug you’re buying is fake or not. So, the next time you see an antique oriental rug for $50, then you better believe that it’s fake.
The Origin Of The Rug
Oriental rugs are rugs that are made in Southern and Central Asia, in countries like Iran (Persian), India, Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, Egypt, Afghanistan, Nepal, and China. Persian rugs are also oriental rugs.
If you’re buying an oriental rug and its origin is not from these places then you’ll want to stop right there. It’s not worth it to spend a great amount of money on a rug that’s not even authentic.
Some retailers can also craft a story of oriental rugs being from other countries, like Thailand, Taiwan, etc., but it’s best that you don’t fall for it because the best oriental rugs come from the countries mentioned above.
“Aged” Rugs – How They Can Fool You?
Retailers can also scam you with “antique” oriental rugs where they make a perfectly modern and fake rug look aged by applying dark dyes, varnishes, and chemicals on it to make it look old and authentic. It’s another scamming trick a lot of people use and you need to be smart enough to not fall for it.
Real antique rugs definitely look well-used and sometimes, reasonably damaged too, but that’s what you want in a real oriental rug, not the knock-off antique rug that’s made to look a certain way.
Conclusion
Authentic oriental rugs and fake ones are worlds apart and with these tell-tale signs, you know exactly how to spot a fake rug. So, save yourself the trouble and money and always choose the real thing. For this, only visit reputable stores that sell real handmade rugs Virginia.
