Rug Knowledge

History of Oriental Rugs

Although the origin and history of Persian rugs has become a mystery, it is known that the earliest hand woven pile rug dates back to 5th century B. C. The Pazyryk rug was discovered frozen in a scythian burial site in the Atley mountains of Siberia near northeastern Mongolia. The discovery proves that pile weaving rug is an ancient craft.

Pazyryk rug is a 6' x 6', and was woven with symmetric knots of about 225 knots per square inch. The design has a dominant tile work in the field surrounded with borders featuring rows of elks and horsemen.

Even though the design is clearly Persian motif, the true source of Pazyryk rug is uncertain. Some believe it was woven in Persia and then it was imported, and some others disagree, and believe it was woven near where it was found.

Currently, the Pazyryk rug is displayed in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Hand Knotted Rugs

The foundation of a hand knotted rug is made of strong threads that run the length (warp), and width (weft) of the rug. The warp and the weft consist of a series of parallel vertical threads taut around the two beams of a loom. The number of warp threads strung on the loom determines the fineness of the weave. Handmade or hand knotted rugs are created by knots on the warp strands secured by large vertical looms. Density of a rug is determind by the number of knots per square inch, or square decimeter. A rug can consist of 25 to over 1000 knots per square inch. A skillful weaver is able to tie 360 knots per hour. This means it would take a skilled weaver about 800 days to weave a 9' x 12' rug with a density of 150 knots per square inch. Imagine if the knot density was even higher.

Handmade rugs are not only beautiful; they are extremely durable. They last for generations, their value will appreciate, and they even look prettier with age. Materials used in hand knotted rugs are wool, cotton and silk. Natural fibers offer better durability than synthetics. Wool is the most durable and easiest fiber to clean. Silk handmade rugs are luxurious but not meant for high traffic areas. Sheep living in higher altitude have finer wool, and so is the wool from the belly and neck of the sheep. In general, wool sheared from a live and healthy animal is much better than the dead wool chemically removed from dead animals that has lost its natural oil and is very rough.

Machine Made Rugs

Machine made rugs are woven on power looms operated by computers. Advances in technology have made it possible for the power looms to produce intricate designs that were once reserved for handmade rugs. To make a machine made rug, fibers are put into place by a machine and then it is secured with latex backing. The process makes the back of machine made rugs rough to touch and creates a grid appearance onback of the rug. Durability of the rug is determind by the rug density. The denser the pile, the better the rug will wear. The density of machine made rug is measured by points per square meter. There can be 2.5 million points per square meter depending on the thickness of the yarn being used. Machine made rugs can be made in a variety of thickness, tuxture and dimensions. They are made with different kinds of fibers such as: Olefin (Polypropylene), nylon, wool, polyester, acrylic, cotton, faux silk and Delcron. The type of fiber used in machine made rugs determined their appearance and performance.

Hand Tufted Rugs

The tufted rug is a semi handmade rug utilizing a device called a "tufting gun". There is no knotting in the tufted rugs and the wool used to make them are usually cheaper grade wool, therefore, they will never last as long as the hand knotted rug.

The tufting gun is a hand operated tool that punches strands of wool into a canvas streched on a frame. Then latex glue is applied to hold the tufts in place. This method of rug making is much less time consuming than hand knotted rug. The rug maker will apply a secondary foundation, which is then covered by a third final cloth backing.

This method of rug making still requires a good level of craftsmanship to accurately portray the intricate design. The final step is shearing the tops of the looped tufts to create the pile.