Persian Rugs – Embodiments Of Style And Elegance

In decorating our homes, we often use rugs as part of the decorative elements. Floor rugs are an easy alternative to changing, highlighting or updating the look of any room at home. By simply replacing a floor rug, you can change the theme and the mood of the room. That is the power of rugs.

When it comes to floor rugs, there are many types that you can use for your home. These rugs can be contemporary or modern, traditional or country. Their prices differ too, as these prices are dictated by the types of materials used and the weaving techniques that were employed. You can as easily find discount floor rugs as easily as you can find exorbitant and exclusive rugs.

One type of really exclusive but extremely popular rug is the Oriental rug. An Oriental rug is distinct in its look and comes from several places around the world. Some of the biggest exporters of these rugs are Iran, Cyprus, China, Vietnam, Turkey and India. These rugs are often organized by their origins; hence you will find a selection of oriental rugs like the Persian rugs, Tibetan rugs, Indian rugs, Kurdish rugs, Chinese rugs, Central Asian rugs and many more.

A Persian rug is a visual representation of the Persian art and culture. These rugs have their origins somewhere back in ancient Persia. Today, you will see that Iran is the biggest exporter of these rugs. Today also, you can find that many other countries have copied the designs of these Iranian Persian rugs. The weavers from these other countries use the designs and reproduce them, and in the process provide a much more affordable alternative to these valuable Persian rugs.

An authentic oriental rug such as the Persian rug is a collector’s item. Although we can find many similar designs available today, most serious collectors would argue that for a rug to be truly authentic, it needs to be made entirely by hand. The rugs have to be hand knotted with pile or hand woven without pile to fulfill the criteria of an authentic oriental rug. This means that any rug made using other techniques including hand tufted are not considered as truly authentic. This is also what makes a truly authentic Persian rug cost a bomb.

When looking for a Persian rug, you should know that they are generally divided into three categories. The first category of rugs is known as the Farsh or the Qalii’, which are Persian rugs larger than 6 x 4 feet. The second type of rugs is known as the Qalicheh, which refers to any rug that is about 6 x 4 feet or smaller. And the third type of rug is known as the Kilim, which translates as rough carpet.

Authentic Persian rugs are made using wool, although there are also rugs made using cotton. Wool is a soft and durable natural fiber which is great for rugs, thus a wide variety of wool is used in the manufacturing of these rugs.

Some Persian rugs are made using silk. The use of silk in rugs originates in the sixteenth century and they are not as common today. However they are still available, though they can easily cost several thousand dollars as silk is much more expensive than wool. Silk is also not as durable, thus most silk rugs are not used as floor coverings. Rather they are displayed and hung on walls to show off their exquisite beauty. A truly authentic silk Persian rug is a treasured collector’s item as the value of the rug can increase with age. That is why these rugs are collected and revered.

Persian rugs have distinct designs on them. Generally the surface of the rugs is either covered all over with one basic design, or it is decorated with a repetition of several motifs. Persian rugs traditionally employ either one of these patterns: all over, which means the designs are all over the surface of the rug; medallion, which means a central medallion design is in the middle of the rug; and one sided, which means that there is single large motif on one side of the rug. Many motifs and patterns have different meanings. Some of the more popular motifs used are like the Boteh, Herati, Gul, Mina Khani, Rosette, and Shah Abbasi.

Today, you can find many of these Persian rugs which are machine woven. On the other hand, traditional hand woven Persian rugs are still available from all parts of the world. The differences will lie in the quality and consequently in the price of these rugs. A hand knotted Persian rug will set you back several thousand dollars as the hand knotting process is a tedious process done by skilled and meticulous craftsmen. These rugs take many months to complete, thus the price is a lot higher than the machine woven Persian rugs.

Persian rugs are an embodiment of style and elegance. Their traditional deigns provide a timeless classic appeal to many.