Looking for vintage oriental carpets can be much like searching for a piece of art to add to a living room wall.
Colours and mood will be a factor but most importantly you want it to be of value in more ways than one.
Much like an art dealer, a good vintage carpet dealer will have comprehensive knowledge of the world of fine floor coverings. Its rich history and cultural influences will fascinate him. He will be familiar with, and visit areas of oriental and Persian carpet production. Forming friendships with weavers who are bringing into being new artistic designs today.
This allows him a unique view into the oriental rug industry, to become intimate, not only with the styles of weaving, but the tools of the trade. The smell, feel and look of a superior long yarn hand-spun wool or the intricacy of a weave.
Like art, there is a real value beyond thinking just what someone will pay for oriental vintage carpets. There is a significance that is both historical and cultural.
Personal preferences may be a factor for an individual but a fine oriental rug or carpet will always be of interest to the connoisseur.
What makes fine oriental carpets? Like a great wine, there are many factors but one is the closeness of the weave. Each strand that makes the carpet’s pile is knotted onto the warp. A higher number of knots per square inch translates into a more dense standing of strands. This means as you step on it, there are more strands under-foot. The more strands under your foot at once means less chance of bending then breaking strands, giving the hand knotted oriental rug a much longer life span. It also makes for a cleaner, crisper design. Just like more pixels in an image creates a higher image resolution, more knots make a more detailed picture.
Vintage carpets may be only 10 years old or nearing a century but what is usually most important is often some atypical trait.
Maybe it comes from a region recognised for traditional medallion designs but in this case, it is a rare portrait commissioned by some wealthy family. Or maybe from a weaver that usually uses a particular weaving pattern and has tried something new on a lark.
A remarkable vintage carpet doesn’t only add depth and warmth to a room, but can also be a wise investment for the future.
At Sharafi & Co, we treat all vintage carpets with care before they ever go in our gallery for sale. We clean and restore carpets carefully in a way sympathetic to its original making. This is another reason to feel secure to buy rugs online from us.
That is why we have household names like Conran come to us for value and quality for oriental vintage carpets.
