Persian and Oriental carpets are as durable as they are beautiful. Compared to machine-made rugs, which generally last 5 to 10 years, they can survive for generations with regular wear and still appreciate in value. They are functional family heirlooms. And their magic lies in the materials and master weaver’s eyes and hands.
At the House of Persian Rugs you’ll see beautiful works of wool, silk, kurkwool (lamb), cashmere (Kashmir goat), yak hair and hemp – all natural and nature-friendly fibres. Of these, wool is the original, and has remained popular throughout history.
No other natural fibre can match the resiliency of lanolin-laden wool. It wears beautifully, and is naturally flame resistant. But only certain breeds of sheep produce fleece fit for use in carpets. And since every type has its own desirable qualities, a carpet’s yarn is always a blend of different wools. Interestingly, like vintage wines, wool from certain years is more prized.
Hand-knotted carpets are rarely made of only one type of material. The foundation (warp and weft) is almost always cotton.
Dyes
The process of achieving the vibrant and varied
colours of carpets is as much an art form as the actual weaving. But
then, the colours of a carpet aren’t just colours – they’re shades of
meaning, each carefully chosen to help you understand the carpet’s
story. So dyeing too is assigned to only the most skilled craftsmen.
The
first dyes were made from organic ingredients and are still used today.
They produce brilliant colours and gradually develop a soft, pleasing
shine. Chromium dyes, on the other hand, are more recent. They retain
their intensity and offer a larger palette of colours than natural
dyes. In either case, you’ll hear your carpet’s story clearly for years.
Popular Persian colours and their meanings:
Green: hope, renewal, life and spring
Blue: strength and power
Red: courage and luck
Orange: humility and piety
Yellow: colour of the sun, radiating joy
White: innocence, cleanliness, purity of heart and selflessness
Process
The actual weaving of a handmade carpet is remarkably simple. There’s a loom, few tools and a predetermined design.
Under the master weaver’s supervision, each knot is individually tied by trained craftspeople. It’s meticulous work since the number of knots in every square inch can be over a thousand. And even then the carpet is only considered finished once it’s carefully washed and sheared. That’s why after many months of poring over their masterpiece, weavers will often celebrate its completion with a feast.
Every finished carpet has four parts:
Warps are strands of cotton or silk (rare) stretched vertically on the loom. On completion, they form the tassel-like fringe of the rug.
Wefts are horizontal weaves that are passed through the warp to secure the knots. The warp and weft are the rug’s foundation.
The two sides of the rug, where the weft begins and ends, are its selvedge.
The actual knots of wool or other natural fibres are collectively the rug’s pile. This is the rug itself.
We keep roughly 5000 Persian and Oriental carpets in stock at all times.
All our Persian and Oriental carpets are genuine handmade and handpicked works of art.
