Since hand knotted persian rug making is an important business in Iran, many people are involved in various processes including the raising and sheering of sheep, vegetable dyeing, and the actual making of rugs. One generation does teach the next generation how to do things and creating amazing hand knotted Persian rugs and carpets
Over the past few decades, some other countries have copied original Persian rug designs and these countries have set up sweat-shops in industrial settings for manufactured rugs. That is an issue for other countries, however, not where authentic, hand knotted Persian rugs are made in Iran.
Really Hand Knotted Persian Rug..??
Hand knotted Persian rugs are more valuable than other machine-made rugs. The back of the rug will help a person determine if it is hand-knotted or machine-made. A hand-made rug has the same, vibrant design as the front of the rug.
Here are some other tips..
Look at the back of the carpet. The machines make a uniform warp-and-weft grid that looks wholly different from the variations and slightly wavy warps and wefts of hand-knotted carpets.
The tightness of the weave and, again, looking at the back of the rug to make sure it is as clear a design on the back as it is on the front is another indication.
A Persian rug will have a label on it indicating its country of origin.
A master designer and weaver will sometimes sign their rug. Their signature, and sometimes the date, will be incorporated into design in the middle of the upper edge of the carpet.
here is one trick, handmade tufted rugs, the tufted rug is handmade, but it is not an Oriental rug because it is not hand-knotted.
In deciding to make a tufted rug instead of a real hand knotted Persian rug, the maker has chosen the cheapest way of making a piled rug. The tufted rug will rarely wear as well as the hand-knotted rug because the wool is almost certainly of a cheaper grade, and because the inexpensive latex glue used becomes brittle and deteriorates over time. A hand-tufted rug has resale value only equivalent to a machine-made rug of the same size.
Process…
Part of the rug-making process by persians is the superior dying process and materials used to make hand knotted Persian rugs. Before being made into rugs, the yarn is washed several times, and, upon completion of the carpet, that same multiple-washing technique is employed.
This is done to secure the color and to keep it from running. While it is unlikely a Persian rug will fade much, if at all, one will notice that their rugs will age gracefully. The term “abrash” is used to suggest the slightly uneven hues characteristic of natural dyes.
The term itself is an Arabic word for dappled, and it is caused by factors including slight differences in how wool batches and dyes interact. Much time and care is taken to make colors meld together nicely. The mellowing of color is a much sought-after quality of antique carpets. One will not see fading in a Persian rug like they will in rugs of inferior quality.
A Rug As A Song
A real hand knotted Persian carpet—like a song—has a rhythm, cadence, and tone. Just like there is no one way to sing a song, there is no right way to see a carpet. The person who made the rug might have observed things in nature or their imagination or surroundings that she or he then conveys in the rug’s design. Often we do not know the intent behind some of the designs because we do not know who the rug-make is and, therefore, we are left to enjoy and interpret it ourselves.
Some symbols and possible interpretations in hand knotted persian rugs and carpets are…
*Camel – wealth, prosperity
*Cypress Tree – strength, endurance
*Tree of Life – eternity–path from earth to heaven
*Chicken, Rooster – dawn of a new day, fresh start, sexual prowess
*Bird – paradise, faith
*Star – spirituality, good luck
*Carnation – happiness
*Pomegranate – abundance, fertility
*Paisley design – flame, universe
*Jug – purification
Hand knotted… How Long Does It Take..??
All Oriental Persian rugs are hand knotted; none are machine made. For a small 3′ x 5′ rug, it might take a person several months to make that rug. Medium-sized rugs (5′ x 8′) can take a person or people up to a year to complete. Very large rugs (10′ x 20′) might take a group of people years to finish it, and larger silk rugs, which often have up to 1,000 knots or more per square inch can take a person a lifetime to complete
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