by : Darso Rhadika

Antique type carpets help to add a touch of grandeur
and glamour to your home or office, speaking greatly
about your rich and extravagant tastes. Antique
carpets are beautiful home furnishings and solid
art investments. They aren't just decorative items,
but pieces of tradition, ethniticity, and true class
that dates back thousands of years.

Antique carpets represent enormous range in motifs
and color harmonies and you'll simply lose yourself
seeing the diverse combinations of rich antique
colors and heavy intricate weaving.

The diverse range of antique carpet pieces that you'll
encounter while shopping for them are mostly Oriental
carpets and rugs that portray the mystery and legend
of the far off lands of the Orient.

Antique carpets and rugs are imported mostly from China,
Persia, India, Afghanistan, Caucasus, and Turkey.
Some of the famous weaving areas of such antique carpets
include Kashan, Agra, and many other locations.

Antique carpets have a more artistic integrity, as
they are exclusively hand woven. They are sold all
over the world, with clients more than willing to pay
whatever they have to in order to redefine their home and
decorate in style.

If you are looking to add luster and glamour to your
home or office and are ready to spend a fortune on the
exquisite pieces of art, then you shouldn’t wait a single
minute.

The first thing to do, is contact one of the several
reliable, knowledgeable, and genuine art dealers
and galleries who deal in antique carpets and
have profound knowledge about the various aspects
of a good and genuine antique carpet. They can
guide you in selecting the best one per your
budget and tastes.

You've got a bit of work to do as well. You should
visit a lot of dealers and educate yourself
about dyes, wools, design quality, and the many
styles of weaving as well. Touch the carpet and
scrutinize them carefully. Beware of the machine
made synthetic carpets that some dealers will
tell you are antique carpets.

Below, are some tips to help you when buying
antique carpet.
1. You have to remain careful and thoughtful
while analyzing each piece of antique carpet.
2. You'll also need to try and understand
the age and origin of the carpet that will in
turn give you a much better insight about the
overall quality of the carpet.
3. You'll also need to look and see if
the edge and borders are there in the antique
carpet you intend to buy, as the end and edge
borders are sometimes lost or even cut out on
purpose. Keep in mind that the borders will
determine the overall value of your carpet.
4. Keep an eye out for holes and moth
attacks that are both common when dealing with
antique carpets. These problems must be attended
to before you buy the carpet.
5. You should always deal with dealers who
have the prices marked on the carpet. See to it
that your dealer sticks to that price.

by Mike Selvon


Turkish carpets are highly sought after throughout the world. The beauty and artistry involved in making these rugs, along with their warm, rich colors, are much-enjoyed characteristics of the rugs. Highly versatile, they can be used as flooring coverings or wall hangings, depending entirely on how they are made and the materials used.

Because they are prized, they can be quite expensive and there are many forgeries on the market. As a result, anyone who is considering purchasing one needs to learn more about them first.

Traditionally, carpets make in Turkey are made by women and girls using wool pile, warps and wefts, as well as natural dyes. Of course, the traditional method of making these carpets is not always the most convenient or cost-effective.

Some variations include weaving with wool pile on cotton warps and wefts, as well as using silk pile, warp and wefts. Chemical dyes and machine weaving have also become common production methods for custom carpets that are meant to be sold.

The different types of Turkish carpets do have different characteristics. Wool on wool carpets, for example, tends to have a low knot count and non-intricate patterns, like geometric shapes, while wool on cotton has a higher knot count and more intricate patterns, including floral designs. Silk on silk rugs have the highest knot count and usually have very intricate patterns.

In addition to materials used, you can determine whether the rug is hand-or machine-spun by looking at the back of it. If the squares are all the same size, then the rug has been machine-spun. You can also tell whether the dyes used are natural or the less expensive chemical versions by wiping a spot of the rug with a damp white cloth.

If color bleeds off, then chemical dyes have been used. Keep in mind that bleeding off on the cloth also means they will bleed onto each other if the carpet is washed.

Weavers of Turkish carpets make them to sell, but they are also used by the weavers as floor coverings, wall hangings, floor mats, and even protective covers during severe changes in temperature. Since they are not all made to sell, and they are only made in a few areas within Turkey, the rugs can be difficult to find.

Although hand weaving has declined because of the increase in machine weaving, the rugs are still made with the kind of quality that allows them to become family heirlooms. Before buying, however, it is important to know enough about the custom carpets to be certain of what you're being sold.