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 The
question that any person either purchasing or evaluating an oriental rug needs to ask
is,"What are the materials used in the rug?" As mentioned earlier in this
course, Silk is the most expensive fiber used in the weaving of Oriental rugs.Because of
it's natural resilience, fineness of the fiber, sheen and ready adaptability to most
colorful dyes, the silk rugs are the most intricate and luxurious, consequently the most
valuable, of the Oriental Rugs. Rayon, or art silk, as it is commonly referred to a cheap
and undurable imitation that serious collectors soon learn to avoid.
Another factor is the nature and the quality of the dyes used: Is the rug dyed using
natural or synthetic dyes? Are the colors bright and fast? Or are they bleeding and
fading? It is desirable to have the colors of the rugs faded and toned down by passage of
time and usage, but the Antique Washes applied to commercially-made rugs depreciates the
artistic value of the rug.
Some other factors that affect the value of an oriental rug are the thickness of the weft and pile, the fineness of the fringe, and in some cases, the knot-density. |
