Buying a Rug

At Alanya, we believe the most important factors in selecting a handmade rug include color, style, size and budget. When you find one that appeals to your taste, it’s time to take a closer look.

A quality carpet is more than just a high knot count and quality materials. Other important factors include dye technique, the number of colors used, the sophistication of design and whether you, the consumer, enjoy the look and feel of the rug.

A close inspection of the structure of the carpet is necessary, consisting of the knotted pile, the warp threads, the weft threads, the fringe and the selvedge. It’s best to examine a rug by studying the back. To figure the knot count, using a ruler, count one inch of knots horizontally and vertically and multiply the two together. The sum is the knot count of the rug. Handmade rugs can consist of 50 to 2,000 knots per square inch. While a higher knot count often points to a finer quality rug, there are some exceptions. Rugs made with thick threads that are packed very tight may only have 100 knots per square inch. Silk rugs, made with very fine strands, may have over 900 knots per square inch. Both are probably of excellent quality even though the knot count varies.

Be wary of loosely packed rugs and look closely for holes, moth damage and stains, especially in antiques. Make sure the fringe and selvedges (sides of the rug) are in good shape; both should be strong and fairly straight. Check that the rug’s pile lies even and without an irreparable wrinkle or crease. If you happen to fall in love with a rug that has a few character flaws, there are ways to fix most problems.

A spectacular rug made with fugitive synthetic dyes can easily be rendered worthless or inferior. Because it was so inexpensive, this type of dye was very popular in the 1850s and was later outlawed in some parts of Persia. Now those rugs, which were once filled with brilliant color, are faded, but still worth money to collectors of that rug era.

A new rug made with fugitive synthetic dyes is not desirable; the color will fade and often bleed onto its surface. To see if the rug you are looking at is color-fast, simply wipe a damp cloth over the surface and study it for a color bleed.

Alanya Carpet Gallery is happy to let you take rugs out on approval. We believe that seeing the rugs placed in your home is imperative, and we will ensure that you are buying a piece of art that will beautifully accent any space.