FAQ

Our Customers Frequently Asked Questions
An old and famous Persian proverb states: “The Persian rug is perfectly imperfect, and precisely imprecise.”
There are many factors that can effect the longevity of an area rug. They include fiber type, weave and density. Quality hand made rugs should last from 60 to as much as 100 years.
Each and every individual rug available for sale has a specific shipping cost, which is stated in the description of the rug.
We use UPS for the shipment of our products.
The exact dimensions of each rug are mentioned in the description table of each rug.
The approximate age of each specific rug should be stated in the rug’s description. Generally, there are new rugs, old rugs, semi-antique and antique rugs. The older pieces are higher in retail value as is the case with fine wine. Some antique pieces are on display in museums worldwide with a price tag of over a million dollars.
The knot count per square inch is a unique number for each rug. This number could range anywhere from 60 through 400 depending on the material used and the skill of the weaver who constructed the rug.
Our rugs are shipped either by UPS ground service or FedEX ground service.
Synthetic fibers are used exclusively in machine made rugs. One of the greatest advantages of synthetic rugs is a byproduct of the fiber being non-porous. This means that it is inherently stain proof and resists soiling and staining from almost any chemical. Synthetic fiber rugs are also more affordable than a wool rug. Wool fiber is available in both machine and hand made rugs. Wool is the traditional fiber used in fine hand made Oriental rugs. Wool not only wears longer, it also keeps its good appearance and stays new-looking longer. Each wool fiber is made up of millions of “coiled springs” that stretch and give rather than break, and so wool is extremely durable. Wool rugs absorb dyes differently than synthetic rugs giving them a more authentic, antique quality.
Yes, we do sell under-padding for our rugs and they are available upon request.

The color seen through your monitor is usually about 95% accurate and fairly representative of the real color of the rug. To the best of our ability, we try to produce a picture that is as true to the rug as possible.

We accept Visa, American Express, and Discover as payment methods.
Most Persian rugs have 100% woolen pile, cotton or goat hair foundation, and in some finer rugs, silk is used as the foundation, as the pile, or in conjunction with wool in the pile. The exact materials used in the making of each rug should be stated in their description table.
Generally, almost all of our rugs are in great condition. Our newer rugs are in excellent condition and some older pieces may have slight repairs done but this is natural in older rugs. In such cases, the condition of the rugs will say “as is.” The repair doesn’t devalue the rug in any way. There are no holes, stains, or foul odors, in any of our rugs. All of our rugs have been professionally cleaned. Please note however, that no handmade rug is absolutely perfect, which is contrary to machine made rugs. But machine made rugs are absolutely inferior to handmade rugs in every aspect. Some older pieces may have low pile but that wear is what gives them their value, much like fine aged wine. As is the case with wine, the older the carpet, the higher the value,

We do ship to Hawaii, but not for free. For price information, please call.

We only ship to Canada and the Caribbean. For price information, please call.
You may return your rug for any reason within 4 days.
Before you can return your rug, you will need to get a return authorization number. Please call us at 713-266-7772 to arrange for a return.
All return shipment costs are the responsibility of the customer.
Hand tufted area rugs resemble more expensive hand knotted rugs in intricacy of design, detail and coloring. A hand tufted rug is constructed by pushing yarns through a heavy canvas backing, then shearing the face of the rug to create a cut pile. These rugs are very heavy and extremely dense in weave
Hooked rugs are made with wool and are woven using a hand hook, similar in shape to a crochet hook, to form a looped pile. Our hooked rugs are made on a non skid latex backing.

The most valuable and exquisite rugs are made by hand, celebrating the unique creations of individual artisans. In practice, the hand weaving process has not changed much over the centuries. It still begins with the warp, a vertical stretching of threads on a loom (the frame on which the carpet is created). Knots are hand-tied horizontally across the warp threads row by row to create the design. Following each row of knotted threads, a second series of threads known as weft are interlaced with the warp at right angles, which form the foundation of the rug. The color and thickness of the hand-knotted wool yarn, the knotting technique and construction determines the appearance of a rug. Each authentic handmade rug possesses its own unique quality through the use of hand-spun wool and hand-dyed yarn that creates a subtle difference.

Dyeing can be defined as the process of changing the natural color of materials such as wool, silk, and cotton. Therefore, when we discuss the color of rugs we are there are two types of colors to consider which are natural and synthetic colors.

NATURAL COLORS

Until the late nineteenth century only natural dyes were used for coloring weaving yarns. Natural dyes include plant dyes, animal dyes, and mineral dyes.Plant dyes come from roots, flowers, leaves, fruit, and bark of plants. Below are some examples of plants used as dyes:
  • Woad: mustard family
  • Indigo: blue family
  • Saffron safflower, sumac, turmeric, onionskin, rhubarb, weld, and fustic: yellow family
  • Madder, Redwood and Brazilwood: Red Family
  • Catechu dye, oak bark, oak galls, acorn husks, tea, and walnut husks: brown and Black family.
Please note, all the primary natural colors could be mixed to produce a wide variety of secondary hues. Presently, natural dyes are still used in some traditional dye-houses and villages where natural sources are readily accessible.

SYNTHETIC COLORS

During the mid-nineteenth century, the demand for handmade rugs increased in the West, therefore increasing Eastern production. To meet the demand an increased color pallet of synthetic dyes were developed in Germany and imported to Iran to reduce costs. The first synthetic dyes was aniline dyes which were made from coal and tar. This dye created brilliant colors but faded rapidly with exposure to light and water. However, the use of these dyes were banned by Nasser-e-Din Shah, the Persian king of Qajar Dynasty, in 1903. Thus causing Persian weavers to discontinue the use of synthetic dyes until the modern synthetic chrome dyes were developed during the first and the second World Wars. Chrome dyes are stable (any dye that retains its intensity despite exposure to light and water) and are produced in an infinite range of attractive hues that are mainly used for coloring weaving yarns. When purchasing a rug we have confidence in both types of natural and synthetic colors as they will both age elegantly over time.

Knotting can be defined as the tying of the colored yarn around the threads of the foundation that creates the pile of a carpet. The most important element in creating a quality rug is its basic construction and the integrity of its principal materials. Additionally, knotting is a precised skill and is crucial to the aesthetics of a finished carpet. Rugs do not need to have a large knot count to be high quality. So be wary if someone tries to sell you a rug solely on the basis of a knot count.

KPSI

Knots per square inch and determines the number of knots in one square inch of the rug. It represents the overall number of knots used in creation of a handmade rug. Usually, City rugs have higher KPSI since they have more detail and they use finer wool. Tribal rugs have lower KPSI since their design is more simple and geometric.

The diagrams below illustrate two different knotting techniques that are used depending upon the geographical origin and specific use of the carpet.

SYMMETRICAL KNOT

The cut ends of the yarn emerge between two warp threads around which it is tied.

The knot is used primarily in Turkey, the Caucasus, and in many rural regions in Iran, and by some Turkoman tribes.

ASYMMETRICAL KNOT

This is also known as the Persian knot and encircles only one pair of warps.

Many asymmetrically knotted rugs display more finely patterned motifs.

A rug composition is comprised of three parts; layout, field and border. When we discuss the layout of a rug, we are talking about the overall arrangements of motifs or objects that are woven in to the rug. A motif is any single form or corresponding group of forms that creates a portion of the design. However the term is fairly general and it can be divided into three additional kinds such as one sided, medallion and all-over layouts.

The field of a rug is the area that contains the medallion, motifs and the corners of the rug. Generally, the field’s color is the dominant color of the background with exception to the border. Frequently used background colors are red, blue, beige, and yellow.

Surrounding the field are two borders including internal and external. While the internal border frames the field, the external border encompasses the whole rug, which is secured by Selvedge. Additionally, the border color is not as readily distinguished as the background color. Most border colors consist of red, blue, beige, yellow, and green.

One Sided Layouts

Prayer and pictorial rugs are consider to have one sided layouts

because the design is woven in one direction. As a result, these

designs can only be viewed from one side (similar to a photograph).

The earliest form of weave is the dimensional flat weave, where horizontal threads are passed over and under vertical threads. This kind of weaving can be traced back to ancient Egyptian times, before pile weaving began. There are four types of flat weave rugs: Kilim, Dhurry, Sumakh and Aubusson.

  • Kilim
    The Kilim uses the same type of dye and the same patterns in certain areas. The peculiar characteristic of kilims is due to the primitive form of weaving. The weft wool threads are twisted very firm to give the look of linen. The weft threads do not go beyond the particular figure in the pattern and once it is finished perfectly the rug is exactly the same on both sides. Do to the method of weaving, the design is geometric. The meaning of the word Kilim is “double faced”, they are reversible. Persian Kilim is called Gileem and comes in a few different types but the finest of these are the Sehna.

 

  • Dhurry
    The Dhurry is a flat weave rug made in India and in Afghanistan. Old Dhurries are made of cotton and are tightly woven. These rugs were used in wedding ceremonies and other important occasions. Flat weave was essentially the art. At some point there were rules and regulations concerning the quality of the products were established. The best rugs were made by a limited group which included members of the local authority and other influential people.New Durries are made from both cotton and wool. The best ones have five or six ply wool yarn twisted together to make the weft threads. The tighter the weave is, the longer the rug lasts. The lowest quality Dhurries are used as bed covers and underlay for fine rugs. These types of weaves have also been seen in American Indian rugs from Peru.

 

  • Sumakh
    Sumakhs are flat weaves with design on one side, with loose ends at the back. Sumakhs are hand make pileless carpets from the Caucasus, around the Caspian Sea. The design of the Sumakh is like any other rug from the Caucasus, geometric and ornate. The ground is covered with geometric shapes running lengthwese with the occasional star or diamond which is the knot of destiny. There are many beautiful finished weaves made for tents, bags and saddle bags in this area. The women of the tribes placed a high value on design improvement by filling the spaces with small designs without loosing the overall stability of the main design.
    The closest technique of weaving is found in the Kashmir shawls where the two dimensional fabric is made with the design on one side, leaving the loose threads inside. Because of its similarity in technique and fineness, Sumakhs were also called Kashmir. A long needle with a hook is used to insert the different threads between the warp and weft.

 

  • Aubusson
    Aubusson is woven in France using the Kilim or slit-tapestry technique. The term is also used to refer to the familiar design of these rugs, which generally feature a floral medallion worked in pastel shades. First flat-weave Aubussons appeared in about 1768. In making the Aubusson, the weaver pulls the colored yarns of weft through neutral-colored warp threads that will make a smooth-surfaced fabric that runs the width of the finished rug. The resulting weave is like the weave employed for tapestries, but heavier and thicker.

There are three types of dye used:

  • Vegetable dye
  • Analine dye in 1856
  • Chrome dye in 1930

The manuscript painters were a great source for carpet designs. The tulip design which originated in Turkey evolved from the calligraphers’s brush to ceramic forms, into carpets. The collaboration between the Islamic architects and designers and weavers is quite evident. Variety as well as, repetition is the theme in this art form. Compared to the modern artists, the ancient art of rug weaving was mostly anonymous by artists who left the rugs unsigned. Sometimes pieces are signed like the Ardebil Mosque rug signed by Maqsood of Kashan, as a prayer of art dedicated to god and to the Mosque.
Oushak rugs of 15th century Turkey are used in paintings of Lorenzo Lotto and Hans Holbein. From several documentary sources we know that Turkish and Persian rugs were used as table covers, wall hangings, trappings for horses and carriages, alters, pulpit and communion table decorations. They also were used in marriages and funeral rituals. Hungary and Transylvania were influenced by the Ottoman.

From the antiques of Isfahan, Ardebil, and Mongol carpets, down to the pieces that are manufactured today in India, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Romania, the same imagination persists – a flower garden, the open air, life. In antique rugs the field is closely covered and stems, leaves, and tendrils pave the winding paths of multicolored flowers and vines on which the design is formed. The arabesques, panels, corner pieces and figures are all balanced. There is a perfection in detail and composition which adds a special charm to the old rugs. In later years, a medallion was added to the design bringing a centerpiece therefore the repeat pattern became more unusual. Though, centuries have come and gone, many of the classic patterns are still used. The cone, which has become paisley, the rosette and serrated leaves of the Herati pattern, the growing vine, the rose, carnation, lily, peony, the star like Henna blossoms, the palmette, the pomegranate, the shah abbas and the Minakhani patterns, the turtle, the Chinese knot of destiny with birds, trees and animals are all still used.