How Can You Tell If An Oriental Rug is Handmade?

People prefer handmade oriental rugs because they’re known to be incredibly high quality and resilient. With the right care, they can last a lifetime and even be passed down generations.

Handmade oriental rugs have a fascinating history and they’re the result of intricate and traditional artistry. No wonder so many people want to own one of their own!

After all, weaving machines can make passable looking rugs, but they can’t fully replicate the detailed work of talented artisans. That’s why handmade oriental rugs tend to cost more.

Thankfully, there are ways to tell the two apart so you don’t end up overpaying to receive an inferior product.

Yes, you should expect to pay more for a hand-knotted rug. However, if you choose to make this investment, you’ll be rewarded by the highest quality and a rug you can potentially use forever!

Here are the telltale signs that an oriental rug was made by hand.

1. The knots aren’t uniform.

This might surprise someone who is new to oriental rugs. They’d probably expect that the more perfect and uniform the knots, the better quality the product. In reality, slight inconsistencies in the knots are a sign that they were woven by hand.

Only machines can produce work that’s completely symmetrical. For an authentic Oriental rug, look for what you’d usually consider a “flaw.”

2. The fringe is a continuation of the rug.

If the fringe of your rug looks like it has been sewn on, almost as an afterthought, then this is a sign that your rug was made by a machine. In hand-knotted rugs, the fringe will look like a natural part of it.

This is because machine-made rugs put the fringe on at the end. In a handmade model, the fringe is a continuation of the threads that make up the main part of the rug.

3. The rug is made from wool or silk.

Handmade oriental rugs use wool, silk, cotton, fiber, and jute. What do these materials have in common? They’re all natural.

Machine-made rugs can use natural materials like wool too, but synthetic materials like polyester, nylon, and acrylic are much more common. If your rug is made of wool or silk, chances are it’s handmade!

4. There are variations in color.

Just like the knots, which are more likely to be handmade if they’re inconsistent, variation in color is a sign that your Oriental rug is authentic.

This is because the materials will have been manually dyed in batches. Machine-made rugs will be more consistent when it comes to the tones and shades that they contain.

5. You’re buying from a reputable vendor.

To be sure the handmade Oriental rug you’re paying for is absolutely authentic, buy from a business you can trust that specializes in the subject of rugs.

For example, Rug Source boasts a vast and diverse collection of traditionally manufactured Oriental rugs. When you buy from us, you can be sure that your rug is of the highest quality.

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