How to Know a Genuine Oriental Rug

A genuine Oriental rug is not just a decorative piece for your home, but a form of art that dates back to about 3000 B.C. With proper care, a fine quality, genuine Oriental rug can last for hundreds of years. When shopping for an Oriental rug, it is easy to be fooled by machine-made copies, or be swindled by a dishonest dealer, so it is important to know how to identify an authentic, handmade Oriental rug. Read on to learn how to know a genuine Oriental rug.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Ask the dealer where the rug was made. Genuine Oriental rugs are made in traditional weaving areas, which include Turkey, Armenia, Persia (Iran), Afghanistan, Armenia, China, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan and India.

2. Check the rug's construction. All authentic Oriental rugs are hand-knotted or hand-woven through a strong linen or cotton backing. Separate the surface pile of the rug and use a magnifying glass to look for the knot. The surface pile of the rug is usually wool, which is sheared and clipped to create a dense, plush, smooth surface.

3. Examine the fringe of the rug in order to determine a machine made copy from a genuine Oriental rug. Careful examination should reveal the fringe as an actual extension of the rug backing itself, and not added on after the rug was manufactured.

4. Inspect the side edges, or selvedges, of the rug. A genuine Oriental rug will have hand overcast edges, where a machine made copy will be bound or serged by machine. The difference is obvious.

5. Look for the rug's design on the back of the rug. In a genuine Oriental rug, the design will be defined as well on the back as on the front. If the rug has a backing that obscures the design, or the design is less distinct, the rug is a machine made copy.

Tips & Warnings

• Imperfections in the colors or design of a genuine Oriental rug are actually desirable qualities, as they are proof that the rug is handmade.
• For insurance purposes you should always obtain a Certificate of Authenticity from the dealer, which should include the size, origin, age, style, materials, knot density, condition and estimated retail value.
• A true Oriental rug will not have a brand name, and will not be hand-tufted.
• Take caution if a dealer offers you an Oriental silk rug for a low price. Rugs with silk pile are expensive and rare. These delicate rugs are normally sold as wall hangings, and not as floor coverings.