How to Identify Authentic Handmade Oriental Rugs

In a world full of machine-made rugs, finding an authentic handwoven oriental rug can be challenging. You may need a rug expert to ensure you get the right quality rug you’re looking for, but you can also check it yourself. By simply examining the physical appearance of the rugs you’re eyeing, you can immediately identify what’s handmade and what’s machine-made.

Below is a guideline you can use in checking the quality and authenticity of your chosen rug.

Visual appearance

Here are the differences between a handmade rug and a machine-made rug:

Front design: The design of a handwoven rug will not be perfect. Since it is handwoven, the shapes and sizes from one edge to another may vary and may not look exactly the same. When creating a machine-made rug, they use pattern sizes that perfected the look of its output. While this does not apply to all machine-made rugs, most of them have a clean-looking front design, compared to that of a handwoven.
Back design: The back of a handwoven rug is more colorful compared to the machine-made rug, and you’ll see individual knots on it. On the machine-made rug’s back design, you’ll see an overstitch pattern on its back. This stitch holds all the materials together.
Edge: The edge of a handmade rug is handstitched with an overcast, while the edge of a machine-made rug is overstitched with a machine.
Fringe: The fringe of an authentic handmade rug is a genuine part of the whole look, making fringe look like an extension of the entire rug structure, on the other hand, the fringe looks attached and then heavily sewn on in a machine-made imitation.

Color

If you look closely, you’ll notice little changes in the color of the rug. That is due to the weaver changing their wool or can also be caused by the age of the wool, sun exposure, light, or washing. Since mostly these wool are only dyed, the output will not look the same all throughout. It brings the authenticity of each rug, which can be difficult to achieve in a machine.

Price

The price of a handwoven rug is definitely more expensive than a machine-made one. Though more pricey, a handmade rug is uniquely made and is more durable compared to the low-priced machine-made versions. Sometimes, these machine-made rugs are made out of low-quality materials too.

You can get a handwoven rug at a less expensive price if you buy one from the country where it was made of, but if you don’t have the luxury to visit countries like China, Persia, India, Turkey, or other sources of authentic oriental rugs, you can always turn to the rug experts and trusted local suppliers.

Conclusion

When choosing a rug for your home, it is always best to stick to quality and durability. The authentic handmade oriental rugs, though more expensive, can give this both to you. Be keen on all the details of the rug from the front design to the back design, and the fringe. They can give you an idea of whether the item you’re buying and the price you’re paying for is the right one for the rug that you want to have.

If you’re still confused and want to make sure, find a trusted rug supplier providing you with fine, low-priced rugs.

Looking for authentic and handwoven oriental rugs? Rug Source can help you! Check out the different rug collections we have on this site!

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