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We look forward to talking with anyone who may have questions on or about oriental rugs. We are an Independent Reviewer, and will give you our opinion for any rug, new or old. Should you have any questions you would like to submit for a blog entry response, please do so, and be sure to include photographs of your rug. For more information, please take a look at the bottom of this page, or feel free to Contact Us at Info@RugRag.com
ALL PICTURES ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE
Question received the week of Monday, the 14th of July
2008:
Hello Rug Rag! I just
recently bought a rug online. The rug looked different from that on the
picture, plus it looks older than I expected (it was advertised as new 0-10
years old). It doesn't look shiny. The kpsi was claimed to be 118 but I counted
only 81. The fringe is very short. It is claimed to be a “Najafabad”
hand-knotted rug. The only good thing about the rug is that it is imperfect:
knots and patterns don't seem equal. I contacted another rug specialist before
buying the rug and he said it should be OK but now I am wondering... Do you
know if I have been ripped off? What can be done to make it a bit shiner?
Regarding the rug, here is the information as provided online:
KPSI 118
Hand-knotted
It is 8 feet by 11 feet 3 inches
Made in Najafabad, Iran
It was advertised as a new rug 0-10 years old
Cost was $595.
As I mentioned, I am not totally happy with the rug because it looks a bit old,
dusty and dull to me but cannot return it because the rug was on final. Please let me know if anything can be done to
make it shiner and how much I overpaid. I saw a similar rug in a local rug
store and it cost CD$1300. It was out of my price range, so, I decided to buy
it over the Internet.
I would highly appreciate your help!
-Anonymous
Response:
Hello, no problem about the help. Indeed many people are purchasing online
nowadays! I hope the info herewith is not too boring for you :), and will
try to address each question you've raised.
Without seeing the rug (which is a pretty big drawback) I'll try to fill you in
on the best answers I can after having looked at the photographs and going on
my experience. I've looked carefully at all photographs provided.
Generally speaking, knot count is not necessarily the best indicator of
quality. It's something that people in the industry certainly use as an
indicator, but by no means is it to bear the brunt of the value within a
rug. Although the stated 118 may seem inflated, what often happens is
many similar rugs are commissioned to have the same knot count, design and
coloring. However with commissioning rugs to different weavers &
workshops, it's not uncommon to have a discrepancy of +/- 20 or 30 knots.
It happens that this particular rug seems to have a bit fewer, but it really
does not affect the value tremendously. From our count, we caught a 10x10
measurement, which equates to *roughly* 100 KPSI (often quarters are slightly
smaller than 1 inch). Another notable thing is to consider the rug
itself. It’s really not uncommon to come across a rug which has a
discrepancy of knot count from one area of the rug to another. Just
the other day I was looking at an antique rug which had 100 KPSI in one area,
and almost 200 in another! This is why KPSI really should be measured in
3 areas and average, and best if measured in the field, as the rug tends to be
more consistent in this area.
While what was presented online for sale may not have been
100% exact, relatively speaking, I don't think there's a tremendous misrepresentation
here. I'm not trying to defend the seller here, just simply stating the
facts about hand knotted rugs. I don't know if this is the case with this
vendor, but many dealers who state knot count don't actually count each one the
way we have: They may simply look at it and give an approximate KPSI based on a
glance, and “typical” quality for each type of rug.
As for how the rug looks from the front to the back, this may have to do with
the shearing, although the rug looks pretty good from the photographs.
This is perhaps one of the more popular designs, which is known as a “kashan Design.”
However, this rug is not a Kashan, it's often referred to as a "mashad," although we believe a more accurate placement and terminology would be an "Ardekan."
You find these in many places across the internet, but often you will find used
pieces which are worn down to the foundation on some auction sites. It
appears as though your rug has full pile, which is very good thing.
The rug does not appear to have any significant color run, which is a sign of
poor washing and/or oversaturated dyes. As for age, it's very difficult
to say. These rugs have been produced for many years, however I can also
tell you they are still being made today. It's quite possible this carpet
could be 2 years old, or maybe even 10 or 20.
If you want to give the rug some SHINE, there's a specific type of washing
technique which exists. It's called a "Lemon
Wash," and sometimes also called a "Luster Wash."
Basically what this type of washing does is give the wool pile a shinier
appearance. It's possible to have this done, and it usually runs
for about several dollars per foot here in NY to have it professionally
treated. My suggestion is to opt against it, only because you never know
exactly how the dyes will react, and you may not be in love with the look after
it's been completed. In other words, it's best to purchase a rug which
has already been subjected to this type of wash. In all honesty, the best
and cheapest thing to do is walk on the
rug with socks, this actually does polish the wool to make it shiny, just
over a much longer period of time.
In general, it takes a little while to get used to rugs. Sometimes there
are slight discrepancies from monitor to monitor. What you have to
remember in regards to coloring is each image is going through several filters
before it arrives on your screen in front of you. First the camera which
can sometimes "dry" the colors, then any adjustments to lighting
(done on photo editing with their monitors) then seen on your monitor at home,
which inevitably will have differences as well. Although it doesn't sound
like color is your main concern, it's just something to bear in mind with these
rugs. I really don't think you got "ripped off," in fact I
think this is a fairly solid value considering how many individuals try to (and
do) succeed in flipping this same exact type of rug (in lesser condition!) for
more money. Even if this rug did have slight wear, you still would have
walked away from this deal in what would be considered somewhat below a "fair market
value." Keep in mind, this rug is a hand knotted item, it's going to
have discrepancies, it's going to have imperfections, and more than anything
else, they are going to take a fair investment for a good piece. I think all in all you
did Fine.
Thanks and Best Regards,
-Rug Rag
See More From "The InBox":
For all those interested in submitting a question to the Rug Rag
Editors: We'd be more than happy to help, please send some photographs
of the
reverse side of the rug very close up with a quarter placed on the
knots, plus a picture of the fringe, the whole face of the rug and
detail shot of the pile. If the rug is worn, please include
photographs of worn areas. For rugs of any age, please be sure to
check for dry areas, moth damage, odor, and whether or not the rug is
straight/has right angles where called for. If you
have any questions about our assessment request feel free to send us an
email. Otherwise, we are looking for
something similar to these images posted here.
Click here for The InBox Disclaimer
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