How valuable is my rug? How much is it worth? Do I have a “nice” rug?
These are questions we receive at Andonian Rugs on a frequent basis. People want to know what they own, regardless of whether they have inherited a treasured antique or were simply tossed a neglected hand-me-down from the next door neighbors.
So the question remains..How do you determine the value of your rug? Far too often, we encounter those who have skipped around to various rug dealers and have been given a wide range of answers. Customers arrive confused and frustrated, anxious to be given a value they can trust and unsure where to find it. Michael Andonian has honed his skills over the years to give our clients fair and accurate valuations. Formal appraisals and exact valuation aside, there are some basic factors that you can observe at home to begin to determine the quality of your rug: origin, knot density, materials, and dye.
Origin: In our modern world, rugs are woven in countless locations around the globe. From far off destinations such as Nepal or Uzbekistan to right in our very own backyard, rugs are woven and distributed to buyers across continents. Knowing the origin of your rug is an important tool in beginning to determine its value. Although a rug’s origin does not always determine its quality, itcan be an important factor. For example, rugs woven in the USA are often made with machine powered looms. So one can presume that the rug’s quality and value will be lower than a hand woven piece, generally speaking.
Knot Density: A more quantifiable measure used to determine rug quality is to count the knots per square inch. By measuring out a square inch on the back of a rug and counting each knot within that inch you can determine the knots per square inch. Or you can simply count the number of knots along the width and height of your measured square inch and multiply those two values to determine the number of knots in the square. As a general rule, the more knots, the clearer and sharper the design hence the higher quality it will be.
Material: Equally important are the materials used in weaving a rug. It is common for rugs (particularly handmade rugs) to be woven on a cotton backing with wool pile. You may also encounter a rug with partial silk content or 100% silk. Machine made rugs are commonly made using synthetic fibers such as polypropylene although some companies use wool. Other less common materials are cotton, hemp and sisal. There can be major variances in quality between these materials. Wool and silk rugs tend to be higher quality over the less common materials. Synthetic fibers are lowest on the quality spectrum.
In simple terms, the better the original quality of the weaver’s material, the better the rug. The best quality wools are 100% hand-spun. Machine-spun wools are not necessarily poor quality, generally just not as fine. Machine-spun wool will often have a slight sheen. Although, if shiny, this may mean it is combined with artificial wool with petroleum additives, which will not hold up over time and could have an undesirable smell. Watch out for this as it may indicate a rug is of lower quality than you believed it to be.
Dye: The dyes used are also a significant indicator of quality. Vegetable and natural dyes are more costly, but superior to chemical dye. Vegetable dyes require much skill level that takes many years to acquire. Rugs woven with vegetable and natural dyes tend to be more vibrant in appearance and subsequently more valuable.
It is our hope that we can provide you with a base understanding of the factors that determine quality and value of a rug. If you would like a formal appraisal on a specific rug, please give us a call. (Appraisals are done by appointment only.)