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Oriental rugs
Most oriental rugs on the market these days are nothing more than cheap replicas of classic designs. In order for a piece of carpet to truly be recognized as an oriental rug it must be handmade in central Asia. Rugs are often categorized by region of origin. Popular types include Persian, Chinese, Kurdish, Tibetan, Turkistan and Caucasian.
To accurately determine the age, origin and value of an oriental rug, a trained professional must be employed. However, there are some tricks of the trade and guidelines that anyone can use. For example, check the type of dye used. Synthetic dye has only been used for about 250 years. Oriental rugs with natural dyes may have been created any other time in the last 3,000 years.
Oriental rugs which contain a deep red dye called cochineal are most likely from India. Cochineal is made from the bodies of dead insects. Light blue wefts are a unique feature found in Romanian rugs. If the rug is square, or nearly square, there is a good chance it was woven by members of a nomadic Turkish tribe. Oriental rugs with double or triple wefts between knots are almost always a product of Bijar in northern Iran.
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