| One topic that I have been waiting to write about because of its complexity is Oriental rugs, until a recent situation prompted me to do so. |
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| I had coffee with a friend who is restoring an older home in Northwest Indiana. He told me that when he moved in, the home was full of rugs and decorative odds and ends, much of which he has given or thrown away, although, he decided to keep the rugs because they "went well with the stateliness of the home." |
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| With my instinctive appraiser curiosity getting the best of me, I made a visit to his home. Low and behold, when I made my way through the house there were several valuable antique Persian and Oriental rugs strewn about. |
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| Little did he know, his cats were trouncing about on several thousands of dollars worth of antique rugs. |
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| His first question to me was why were they worth so much? Well, first of all, the rugs were all handmade. Handmade rugs are superior for several reasons but most importantly because of the quality of the craftsmanship. |
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| The traditional composition of a handmade rug is always from natural materials, most commonly cotton, wool or silk, not from synthetic materials. |
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| The foundation and pile also can be a combination of these. The foundation is the interlaced warp (yarns that are lengthwise across the weaving loom) and the weft (the horizontal yarns woven over and under the warp). |
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| The pile is the surface of the rug created by the yarns knotted to the foundation. The knots creating the pile are all hand tied by a skilled artisan, not by mechanical means. The knots can appear to be looped or cut. |
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| Traditionally, the yarns used to create handmade Oriental rugs are dyed with natural dyes such as madder root for reds and indigo for blues. Synthetic dyes were not introduced until the late 19th century. These natural dyes do fade over time, but a muted antique look is desirable among some collectors. |
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| Other elements that also add value and desirability to Oriental rugs (including Persian) are the age, composition, region of creation and pattern. |
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| I will elaborate on these topics in my next column. |
