Turkish Rugs: What to Look For

Written by Caroline Hartford

Tuesday, 14 October 2008

by CarolineHartford

You are wanting to invest in a work of art, but you'd like it to be functional as well? Have you considered buying an oriental rug? High quality Turkish rugs are beautiful and functional pieces of art that can really hold their value. Even better, you can find these rugs to fit most any budget. A large, well constructed handmade carpet can cost as much as four thousand dollars or more, while a small machine made area rug may be priced as low as forty or fifty dollars. If you have a large budget, an antique oriental rug is a wonderful investment.

Even though Turkish rugs got their name because they were popular in Turkey, they are actually made in many areas of the Middle East and Africa. If you decide to travel to this region to shop for rugs, be sure to enlist the assistance of a reputable expert to help you make your purchase. Many shop owners actually work with local guides to sell their rugs and give a percentage of the sale price to these guides. This means their prices are somewhat inflated.

To make sure you choose the perfect rug, you need to give it some scrutiny. Meticulously inspect the weave of the rug. It is most likely machine made if the weave seems flawless. You will find an irregular weave on a genuine hand woven Oriental carpet, suggest that there may be minor spaces among the various knots. Cut-rate mass produced rugs typically bear ends which are improperly finished or possess skimpy borders.

The best high quality, luxurious Turkish area rugs are manufactured with one hundred percent wool and made to be very thick. The highest quality rugs may be produced with a blend of wool and silk. The value of these rugs are high as compared to rugs manufactured from cotton, which tend to be at the low end of the quality scale. Cotton rugs do not hold up as well and the resale value is poor. In order to ensure that a quality purchase is being made and not a cheap cotton imitation, one must inspect the fringe. Quality wool rugs will be made completely of wool down to the last thread. If the fringe is made of cotton, it is not a wool rug.

Finally, don't be afraid to take your time looking through what the rug dealer has to offer. The merchant will consider the fact that you are taking time to look closely at his wares as a sign of respect. Once you have selected a rug, you don't have to accept the first price the merchant quotes you. They expect people to think of that price as a starting point for negotiations. But, the best selection and the best deals can be found by purchasing your oriental and Turkish rugs online.

Article Author:

The best quality Turkish Area Rugs are very thick and luxurious and made with one hundred percent wool. The best selection and the best deals can be found by purchasing your Oriental and Turkish rugs online.

Comments

Add New

RSS

Write comment

Name:

Email:

Website:

Title:

UBBCode: